In a first at an international sporting event, the complete version of the national song “Vande Mataram” was played after the national anthem “Jana Gana Mana” before the start of India’s first T20 International against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Sunday.
The rendition followed guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs as part of the 150th-anniversary commemorations of “Vande Mataram”, penned by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. All six stanzas of the national song were played, lasting three minutes and 10 seconds, after the 52-second national anthem. The two renditions together lasted four minutes and two seconds, with those present at the stadium standing in attention.
BCCI plans new tradition for home series
The ceremony is also set to become a regular feature of India's international home calendar, with BCCI sources saying “Vande Mataram” will henceforth be played before the first match of every home series. “Vande Mataram will now be played at the start of every home series, before the start of first game,” a BCCI source said on condition of anonymity. The move means the national song would not necessarily precede every international match played in India but would be incorporated into the opening fixture of each home series.
The development follows the Home Ministry's February 6 guidelines governing the rendition of “Vande Mataram” during its 150th-anniversary commemorations. The guidelines prescribed an official rendition of three minutes and 10 seconds and stipulated that those present should stand in attention while it is played. They also permitted the complete six-stanza rendition at formal government functions attended by the President or Governors, before and after presidential addresses broadcast on radio and television, when the National Flag is brought on parade, and on other similar occasions.
Historic song enters sporting arena
“Vande Mataram” occupies a distinctive place in India's freedom movement and national history. Written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and included in his novel Anandamath, it became closely associated with the struggle against British rule. The first two stanzas were accorded special status by the Indian National Congress in 1937, while the Constituent Assembly in 1950 recognised the song's historic importance alongside “Jana Gana Mana”.
Sunday's ceremony marked a new chapter by bringing the complete rendition into an international sporting arena. National anthems are a familiar part of international cricket, particularly before bilateral and ICC matches, but the playing of “Vande Mataram” in addition to “Jana Gana Mana” introduced a new element to the pre-match protocol for an Indian home international.
Focus now turns to ICC events
The BCCI's decision raises the question of whether the practice could eventually extend to global tournaments hosted in India. ICC competitions operate under tournament-specific protocols, meaning arrangements for ceremonies and national anthems are governed differently from bilateral series organised by the host cricket board.
For now, the change applies to India's home-series calendar, with the national song set to accompany the opening match of future series. Sunday's India-Afghanistan T20I therefore became the first international sporting contest to feature the new practice, placing the 150-year legacy of “Vande Mataram” alongside one of the country's most prominent contemporary sporting occasions.