# Vande Mataram sung at Red Fort for first time since independence 2026-08-16T03:20:17+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets (3 source reports) For the first time since independence, Vande Mataram was rendered from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the 80th Independence Day celebrations on Saturday. The Times of India reports that the rendition marked 150 years of the national song. Around 5,000 special guests, including NCC cadets, MY Bharat volunteers, women entrepreneurs, and welfare scheme beneficiaries, attended the ceremony. Home minister Amit Shah called the moment historic and said it gave him goosebumps. The Hindustan Times reports that an Army band played Vande Mataram while guests sang, followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisting the national flag and the national anthem. A 21-gun salute using indigenous 105mm Light Field Guns was synchronised with the anthem. Two Mi-17 helicopters showered flower petals, one carrying the national flag and the other a flag depicting Vande Mataram. Rain clouds cleared just minutes into the PM's address. The Times of India also reports that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in Nagpur that democracy allows room for divergent viewpoints, but such expression must not harm the Constitution or the country's social and cultural fabric. He said difference is an expression of unity. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) - hindustantimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T22:52:27+00:00. Tags: Amit Shah, Indian cricket team, Mohan Bhagwat, Narendra Modi, Red Fort, Vande Mataram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vande-mataram-sung-at-red-fort-for-first-time-on-i-day/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vande-mataram-sung-at-red-fort-for-first-time-on-i-day/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/