Vande Mataram to echo in Andamans on Sept 7

Port Blair, Sept 2: Together with the rest of the country, 'Vande Mataram' will be sung in all the schools, colleges and educational institutions throughout Andaman&Nicobar islands at 11.00 hrs on September 7.

Andaman and Nicobar administration have issued an official circular to all educational institutions in farflung islands of this remote territory in this regards.

According to sources, Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has recently received a letter from Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh for organising this event in the islands too.

''The year-long commemoration of 100 years of 'Vande Mataram' as a national song started on September 7, 2005 and would end on September 7 this year.

The Centre has decided that the first two stanzas of the song should be sung simultaneously September 7 in all the schools, colleges and educational institutions throughout the country,'' the official letter from the Union HRD Minister said.

Responding to the letter, a circular has been issued to all the educational institutions, sources said.

''A National Committee, under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister, had been constituted recently for commemoration of the event, which among others, include the centenary of adoption of 'Vande Mataram' as National Song,'' Arjun Singh said in his letter.

Vande Mataram has become a major political issue recetly after a section of Muslims objected to it.

Though there are some reservations about the song in some parts of India but till now there is no opposition in the islands. Some schools have already started rehearsing the song for September 7.

'Vande Mataram' was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1876 and Rabindranath Tagore recited it for the first time during the Congress session at Bombay in 1896.

During the Partition of Bengal (Bang Bhang Andolan) movement in 1905, 'Vande Mataram' became the battle song in the fight against imperialism. It was adopted as a National Song at the Varanasi session of AICC on September 7, 1905, Arjun Singh informed Lt Gen (Retd) Madan Mohan Lakhera, Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar islands in his letter.

UNI