The invitation cards carry the lyrics of all six stanzas of the national song, officials said. Vande Mataram will be played before the national anthem during the 80th Independence Day celebrations.
The ceremony at the Red Fort is attended by top ministers, military officers, bureaucrats, diplomats, students, and special guests who have achieved excellence across various fields. These guests receive the invitation cards issued for the event.
The development comes after Parliament passed a bill last week granting the national song the same status as the national anthem. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, makes any obstruction or insult to the national song a criminal offence, carrying a jail term of up to three years and a fine for offenders. The existing law safeguards the national flag, the national anthem, and the Constitution.
The move was announced during celebrations marking the 150th year of Vande Mataram, months after the Centre made the rendition of all six stanzas of the song mandatory, replacing the decades-old practice of singing only the first two stanzas that were adopted as the national song in 1950.
“People know the national anthem by heart, but few can sing the national song. The lyrics have been provided so that people can sing along,” said one of the officials cited above.
The invitation cards also feature an image of Seva Teerth, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office, the National Security Council Secretariat, and the Cabinet Secretariat, along with a list of fundamental duties.
The invitation cards issued last year carried the watermark of Jammu and Kashmir’s Chenab bridge, depicting the rise of ‘Naya Bharat.’
The 77th Republic Day celebrations were organised around the theme of Vande Mataram, marking 150 years of the song. The tableaux of ministries and states were also based on the same theme.
The Indian Army marked the Vande Mataram milestone by organising band performances at 18 locations across the country. The locations where military bands performed included Naihati in West Bengal, the birthplace of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, who composed Vande Mataram in the 1870s.
The success of Operation Sindoor was highlighted during last year’s Independence Day celebrations, three months after Indian forces struck terror and military targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
The inclusion of Vande Mataram lyrics in the Independence Day invitation cards and its scheduled performance before the national anthem marks a significant change in the annual Red Fort ceremony, reflecting the expanded role of the national song in official celebrations.
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