Culture Ministry to showcase ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’ tableau at Republic Day Parade 2026
The Ministry of Culture will present a Republic Day Parade tableau in 2026 on the theme ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’, highlighting the national song’s historical journey, cultural significance and enduring emotional resonance.
Ministry said the tableau will depict Vande Mataram as more than a patriotic composition, portraying it as a symbol of India’s civilisational memory, collective consciousness and cultural continuity.
Ministry of Culture Secretary Vivek Agarwal noted that Republic Day tableaux serve as “moving archives” that visually narrate ideas, values and historical experiences. He said Vande Mataram holds a “singular and enduring place” in India’s national imagination, having once been sung in prisons, meetings and protest marches during the freedom movement.
Composed by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay in 1875, Vande Mataram imagined the nation as Mother—“sujalam, suphalam”—and became a rallying force during anti-colonial resistance. Sri Aurobindo described the song as spiritually potent, capable of awakening collective consciousness.
The 2026 tableau will feature the original manuscript of Vande Mataram mounted on a moving tractor, followed by folk artists from different regions to represent cultural diversity. At the centre will be a depiction of today’s youth performing Vande Mataram, drawing inspiration from the historic rendition of Vishnupant Pagnis in Raga Sarang—an adaptation that once helped bypass colonial restrictions.
Since 2021, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been tasked with conceptualising and executing the Ministry of Culture’s Republic Day tableaux. Member Secretary of IGNCA, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi, said the tableau theme reflects “collective emotions, history and national consciousness” rather than the achievements of a single institution. He said the 2026 concept continues IGNCA’s approach of presenting interconnected cultural dimensions rather than isolated programmes.
Ministry said the tableau aims to link the legacy of the freedom movement with contemporary responsibilities and aspirations, reaffirming Vande Mataram as a symbol of unity, cultural depth and national spirit as India marks Republic Day 2026.
