Raksha Khadse joins sports ministry, SAI officials in mass singing of 'Vande Mataram' to mark 150 years of the national song

New Delhi [India], November 7 (ANI): Officials and employees of the Union Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) came together on Friday morning for a special mass singing of the national song 'Vande Mataram' at the SAI Headquarters in New Delhi.
The event was held in the presence of Minister of State for Sports Raksha Khadse and senior officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Sports Authority of India, as part of the nationwide inaugural celebration marking 150 years of the iconic song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, according to a release from SAI.
The event marked the online telecast of the inaugural ceremony led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, where PM Modi inaugurated the nationwide celebrations and called upon citizens to uphold the values of patriotism, unity, and selfless service that 'Vande Mataram' represents.
Over 100 SAI & MYAS officials and staff members participated in the rendition of the full song, which has become a symbol of unity, pride, and devotion to the motherland. The event was among hundreds organised simultaneously by Union Ministries, Departments, and their subordinate offices across India on Friday morning.
The national-level celebration, organised by the Ministry of Culture, marks the beginning of a year-long commemoration (November 7, 2025 - November 7, 2026) to honour 150 years since 'Vande Mataram' was penned on Akshaya Navami in 1875.
Earlier today, PM Modi described India's national song, Vande Mataram, as a "mantra, energy, dream and resolve" while leading the nation in commemorating 150 years of its creation.
Addressing a grand event marking the occasion, the Prime Minister said the song embodies devotion and worship for the motherland and continues to inspire generations with a sense of patriotism and pride.
"Vande Mataram" - these words are a mantra, an energy, a dream, a resolve. Vande Mataram: these words are devotion and worship to Maa Bharti. Vande Mataram, these words take us into history, they fill our present with new confidence, and they give our future this new courage that there is no resolve that cannot be achieved, no goal that we, the people of India, cannot attain," Prime Minister Modi said.
"Aisa koi sankalp nahi, jiski siddhi na ho sake. Aisa koi lakshya nahi, jo hum bharatwasi paa na sakein," he added.
The Prime Minister also released a Commemorative Stamp and Coin on the occasion, and also launched a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the National Song 'Vande Mataram'.
The programme marks the formal launch of a year-long nationwide commemoration, from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, celebrating 150 years of this timeless composition, which inspired India's freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unity. (ANI)