# Vande Mataram rendered at Red Fort for first time

2026-08-15T07:15:37+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

‘Vande Mataram’ was rendered at the Red Fort during India’s 80th Independence Day celebrations on August 15, 2026, before the national anthem. The Hindu reports that an Army band played the tune and guests sang the national song. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the ceremony, which included the flag hoisting, a Rashtriya Salute and a flower-petal shower by two Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters. The ceremony marked 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875 and later included in Anandamath. Rabindranath Tagore first sang it publicly at the 1896 Congress session in Calcutta. The Constituent Assembly adopted it as India’s national song in 1950. The government began a year-long commemoration last November.

## Coverage

- businesstoday.in <https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/independence-day-celebrations-2026-vande-mataram-played-for-first-time-at-red-fort-heres-why-it-matters-549361-2026-08-15?utm_source=rssfeed>
- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/in-a-first-vande-mataram-rendered-during-80th-independence-day-celebrations-at-red-fort/article71348393.ece>

Tags: Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Indian Air Force, Rabindranath Tagore, Red Fort, Vande Mataram
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vande-mataram-played-before-anthem-at-red-fort-ceremony/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vande-mataram-played-before-anthem-at-red-fort-ceremony/#story-in-brief

Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.