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An autonomous body managing administrative affairs in the Darjeeling Hills has announced that students in the region’s schools are exempt from singing the state anthem during prayers, reported PTI. On November 6, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) issued a notification mandating all state-run and state-aided schools to include “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol,” written by Rabindranath Tagore and previously declared the state anthem, alongside the national anthem. The song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol” (Bengal’s land, Bengal’s water) was penned by the Nobel laureate in 1905 to protest the partition of Bengal. On November 7, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Secretary P D Pradhan issued a notice to the district inspector of schools, pointing out that many schools in the GTA region have traditional anthems and morning prayers in the Nepali language, in addition to the national anthem. “I have been directed to apprise you that the regular tradition of morning assembly will be followed in the schools keeping in mind the different cultures, tradition and language of communication in the schools within GTA region. You are also requested to inform all the secondary schools in GTA region accordingly,” the notice stated. A WBBSE official confirmed that schools in the GTA region would be exempt from the decision to make the state anthem mandatory. In a related development, BJP MLA of Darjeeling Neeraj Tamang Zimba wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, raising concerns over the WBBSE notice. He stated that making the state anthem compulsory during the assembly in schools has caused “serious constitutional, cultural, and administrative concerns” across his constituency and beyond. “Our Constitution celebrates unity through diversity, not uniformity through diktat… No citizen, student or institution is compelled to adopt a practice or symbol that conflicts with their conscience, language or cultural identity,” Zimba said. Previously, there was no specified prayer song in the state, except for the National Anthem.
