Singing 'Vande Mataram' not mandatory for Delhi students

NEW DELHI: Delhi Government on Monday said Vande Mataram will be recited in its schools during the national song's centenary celebrations on September 7, but it will not be made mandatory for students to sing it.

"The song will be sung in Delhi government schools. But it will be up to the students to choose whether they want to sing it or not," Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

"I will definitely sing the national song. It is a beautiful song. But India being a democratic country, we cannot force anybody to sing it," Lovely, who will take part in the centenary celebrations of Vande Mataram at Ludlow Castle school, said.

Lovely said Delhi government schools have been asked to hold its rendition on September seven to commemorate the 100 years of its adoption as the national song.