Meghalaya awaits HRD directive to sing Vande Mataram

Shillong, Sep 5 (UNI) The Meghalaya government today said it was yet to get a direction from the Congress-led UPA government to sing Vande Mataram in educational institutions in the state on September seven.

Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1876, was first recited by Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore and later adopted as a National Song on September 07, 1905.

''We have not received any directive from the Centre to sing Vande Mataram, '' state Minister in-charge Education Prestone Tynsong said.

Mr Tynsong said the state government would direct schools and colleges and others educational institutions to sing the National song on the direction of the Human Resource Development Ministry.

Meanwhile, the BJP Meghalaya state unit had urged the Rymbai-led government to make singing of Vande Mataram mandatory on September seven.

The BJP had decided to celebrate the centenary of the National song by singing it at its party office here on that day.

The Centre had decided that the first two stanzas of National Song Vande Mataram should be sung simultaneously on September seven at 1100 hrs in all schools and other educational institutions throughout the country.

However, media quoting Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh had reported the singing of Vande Mataram simultaneously at 1100 hours on September 07,2006, in all schools, colleges and other educational institutions throughout the country was to be purely voluntary and not mandatory.

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