Play Vande Mataram at least once a week in educational institutions, rules Madras HC

The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered that the National Song “Vande Mataram” should be played and sung in all educational institutions including schools, colleges and universities at least once a week, preferably on Mondays or Fridays.

Justice M.V. Muralidharan passed the order on a writ petition filed by K. Veeramani seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu Teacher’s Recruitment Board to award one mark to him. The petitioner said he had taken the Teacher Eligibility Test in 2013. While he answered the National Song was written in Bengali, the answer key gave it as Sanskrit.

Disposing of the petition, the judge directed the TRB to award the mark to Mr. Veeramani.

“Patriotism is an essential requirement for every citizen of this country. The fact that this country is our Motherland should always be remembered by every citizen of this country. Several people have sacrificed their lives and families to the independence struggle that prolonged for several decades. In these tough times, it was songs like our National Song ‘Vande Mataram,’ which created a sense of belief and confidence in the people”, said Mr. Justice Muralidharan in his order.

The judge also said the National Song “should be played and sung in all government offices and institutions, private companies, factories, and industries at least once a week. The Director of Public Information is directed to upload and circulate the translated version of “Vande Mataram” in Tamil and English thereby making it available in the government websites and also in social media.

The court also said, “Let a copy of this order be marked to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Tamil Nadu, who shall issue appropriate instructions to the concerned authorities; In the event, any person/organisation has difficulty in singing or playing the national song, he or she shall not be compelled or forced to sing it, provided there are valid reasons for not doing so.”