GUWAHATI: The national song Vande Mataram will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first time on the occasion of India’s 80th Independence Day celebrations on August 15. Young students and members of Gen Z will also have greater representation at this year's ceremony, with student achievers set to be seated on the ramparts.
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The celebrations will be held under two themes- “150 Years of Vande Mataram” and “Yuva Shakti for Viksit Bharat@2047”.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Monday, August 10, that the move assumes significance as 2026 marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, which played a prominent role in mobilising people during the freedom struggle. The song will be rendered upon the Prime Minister's arrival, following which he will unfurl the national flag and deliver his customary address to the nation.
Addressing a press conference, Singh said the plan to highlight the achievements and contribution of youth during the Independence Day celebrations predates the students' protest at Jantar Mantar.
The youth invited to the celebrations include innovators associated with national innovation programmes, top interns under the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme, start-ups supported through various government schemes, and young people who have performed well under the Prime Minister's Kaushal Vikas Yojana and Start-up India Seed Fund.
The Defence Ministry said 19 students who won medals at the International Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematical Olympiads 2026 have also been invited. Their achievements, it said, exemplify the success of Yuva Shakti in the field of science.
India will mark its 80th Independence Day on August 15, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations from the Red Fort in Delhi.
Singh said that with 2026 marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, the national song that inspired millions during the freedom struggle will be sung from the Red Fort ramparts for the first time as a tribute to its enduring legacy.
An Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force will carry a banner commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram and shower flower petals over people gathered at the Red Fort.
The decision to give Vande Mataram a prominent place in the celebrations comes amid a renewed government focus on the national song in its 150th year.
In February, the Union Home Ministry issued protocols providing for the rendition of all six stanzas of the song at specified official functions.
Parliament recently passed a bill seeking to elevate the national song to the same status as the national anthem.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, makes obstruction or insult to the national song a criminal offence and proposes imprisonment of up to three years and a fine for offenders.
The existing law safeguards the national flag, the national anthem and the Constitution.