West Bengal makes Vande Mataram mandatory in school morning assemblies after national anthem

A decades-old Tagore line is being replaced overnight

West Bengal’s Education Department has ordered that ‘Vande Mataram’ be sung compulsorily in morning assemblies across all schools, effective immediately. The directive requires the song to be performed after the National Anthem, and it replaces the earlier practice of singing Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jol.’ The move marks a sharp change in how schools open their day.