Copyright news18
The West Bengal government on Thursday made it mandatory for the school students to recite Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Banglar mati, Banglar jol’ in morning assembly for all government, government-aided, and sponsored schools across the state. In a circular issued on Thursday, the board directed school heads to ensure compliance with the new rule. The notification stated, “The undersigned is directed to inform you to take necessary action for regularly singing the state song – Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal—in the morning assembly mandatorily.” Approved By Chief Minister State Education Minister Bratya Basu confirmed that the decision had been approved by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He said, “With the approval of the Chief Minister, it is hereby authorised that from now on, in every government and government-aided school of West Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song ‘Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal’—written in 1905—shall be sung at the beginning of the school day as the prayer song.” Basu added that along with the National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’, also composed by Tagore, the daily rendition of the state song is expected to “serve as a special catalyst for maintaining and strengthening social and communal harmony throughout the state.” State Song Adopted In 2023 The move follows the 2023 resolution passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly under the Mamata Banerjee government, which officially adopted ‘Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol’ as the state anthem and declared Poila Baishakh (the first day of the Bengali calendar) as Statehood Day. In January 2024, the state government issued a formal notification confirming the song’s adoption. The order also specified that the playing duration of the song is 1 minute and 59 seconds. The notification further stated that the state song must be played at all official government events, and that such programmes will conclude with the National Anthem.
