The Ministry of Culture will present a tableau on the theme ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’ at the Republic Day Parade 2026, foregrounding the national song as a living expression of India’s civilisational memory, collective consciousness, and cultural continuity.

Informing on the theme, Shri Vivek Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, remarked that India’s Republic Day tableaux are far more than ceremonial displays; they function as moving archives of the nation’s civilisational memory. Year after year, they translate ideas, values, and historical experience into a shared visual language, reaffirming that culture is not an ornament of the Republic, but its sustaining spirit. Within this continuum, Vande Mataram occupies a singular and enduring place.

He noted that once spoken on the lips of revolutionaries and sung in prisons, meetings, and processions, Vande Mataram is far more than a song. Sri Aurobindo perceived in it a spiritual potency capable of awakening collective consciousness—a vision that history has since affirmed. Composed in 1875 by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, the song envisioned the nation as Mother—sujalam, suphalam—abundant in nature, nurture, and inner strength. During the colonial period, it restored dignity and self-belief, transforming devotion into courage and poetry into resolve, and uniting Indians across regions, languages, and faiths in a shared aspiration for freedom.

The Ministry of Culture’s Republic Day tableau for 2026 gives this long and layered journey a powerful visual form. The moving tractor carries the original manuscript of Vande Mataram, followed by folk artists drawn from the four directions of India, embodying the country’s cultural plurality. At the centre of the tableau stands the present generation, represented by Gen - G, who renders Vande Mataram inspired by the historic rendition of Vishnupant Pagnis. His recording of the song in Raga Sarang, achieved by altering the sequence of verses to circumvent colonial censorship, became a significant example of artistic resistance during the freedom movement.

Since 2021, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of conceptualising and executing the Ministry of Culture’s Republic Day tableau. Over the years, IGNCA has consistently shaped themes drawing upon India’s philosophical, historical, and cultural foundations, presenting them through a visual idiom that resonates across generations. The 2026 tableau continues this approach, situating Vande Mataram not merely as a historical composition, but as a continuing source of ethical, cultural, and emotional resonance.

Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), observed that the Ministry of Culture’s tableau goes beyond representing a single ministry or department, and instead reflects the collective emotions, history, and national consciousness of the country. He noted that the theme of the Ministry of Culture’s tableau for the Republic Day Parade has been finalised as ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’, which will present the inspiring historical and cultural journey of the national song through artistic expression.

Dr. Joshi further noted that for the past six years, IGNCA has been responsible for conceptualising and executing the Ministry of Culture’s Republic Day tableau. While most ministries and States highlight specific achievements or programmes, the Ministry of Culture adopts a distinctive approach by integrating multiple cultural dimensions—an approach reflected in its themes over the years, culminating in ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’ as the theme for 2026.

As India celebrates Republic Day 2026, Vande Mataram calls upon the nation not only to remember freedom, but to remain worthy of it. Through this presentation, the Ministry of Culture seeks to reaffirm the national song as a symbol of India’s unity, cultural depth, and enduring spirit—connecting the memory of the freedom struggle with the responsibilities of the present and the aspirations of the future.

Click here to see Ministry of Culture’s Republic Day Catalogue

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Sunil Kumar Tiwari

pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com