Must for all schools to sing state anthem, declares Bengal government

KOLKATA: West Bengal government on Thursday made it mandatory for all government and govt-aided schools to sing the state song, 'Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal', at morning assemblies.

A notification, issued by the state secondary education board to heads of all upper primary and secondary schools, asked them to "take necessary action for regularly singing the state song at the morning assembly mandatorily"."The famous song written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 is now to be sung as a prayer song (prarthana sangeet) at the beginning of each day in every govt and govt-aided school in Bengal," state education minister Bratya Basu posted on X on Thursday.

The "regular singing of the national anthem, also written by the poet", along with the state song, would be "a catalyst for social and communal unity", Basu added.'Banglar Mati', Tagore's ode to Bengal, was composed in 1905 in support of the movement against the British colonial ruler's 1905 decision to partition Bengal.CM Mamata Banerjee had organised a citizens' convention in Sept 2023 to choose an appropriate melody as Bengal's "state song". That convention - comprising representatives from political parties, religious leaders and prominent citizens - overwhelmingly favoured "Banglar Mati". An assembly session later that year adopted a resolution, making it the state song. Bengal then issued an order, making it mandatory at all state functions along with the national anthem.Thursday's order comes in the backdrop of a political war between Trinamool and BJP over the SIR in Bengal.