West Bengal Makes State Anthem Mandatory in School Morning Assemblies Alongside National Anthem

Previously, schools in the state had no designated prayer song apart from the National Anthem.

Kolkata:

The West Bengal government announced on Thursday that all state-run and state-aided educational institutions will now include the state anthem 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol', written by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, as a daily prayer song alongside the national anthem.

The anthem 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol' (Bengal's land, Bengal's water) was composed by Tagore in 1905 as a protest against the partition of Bengal during that period.

Until this announcement, schools in West Bengal had no official prayer song requirement beyond the National Anthem.

Education Minister Bratya Basu stated on X, "As consented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, every state-run and state-aided schools will have 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol' as the prayer song before commencement of the classes from now on every day."

He clarified that this would be in addition to the National Anthem, not replacing it.

The minister emphasized that this initiative will "work as a catalyst for communal amity and social harmony and make our young generation conscious about the need to maintain social harmony."

The minister's post included a notice from the Deputy Secretary (Academic) mandating "regular singing of the State Song Banglar Mati Banglar Jol in the morning assembly mandatorily with immediate effect."

West Bengal Board of Secondary Education President Ramanuj Ganguly confirmed to PTI that notifications regarding this new requirement have been distributed to all affiliated educational institutions.