Republic Day 2026 parade on ‘150 years of Vande Mataram’ theme: How it will be displayed

THe Republic daylight exhibit is ever a vision to lay eyes on, with several tableaux putting India’s rich heritage and culture from across all regions on beautiful display but tied together with a central theme, which for this year is also what dominated the last Parliament Winter Session — 150 years of Vande Mataram, the national song.Along with Vande Mataram, the Republic Day 2026 celebrations carried out on Delhi’s Kartavya Path, will also be a blend of India’s military might and cultural diversity, according to the defence ministry, with President of the European Council Mr Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as chief guests for this year’s parade.Also read: Republic Day 2026: Is India celebrating the 77th or 78th Republic Day on January 26? Significance, chief guests and moreThe ‘Vande Mataram’ themeAccording to Vivek Agarwal, secretary of the Ministry of Culture, the tableaux displayed during Republic Day in India are much more than just ceremonial displays and function as moving archives of the nation’s civilisational memory.“Year after year, they translate ideas, values, and historical experience into a shared visual language, reaffirming that culture is not an ornament of the Republic, but its sustaining spirit. Within this continuum, Vande Mataram occupies a singular and enduring place,” according to the culture ministry.Agarwal also noted that Vande Mataram is far more than a song, which was once spoken on the lips of revolutionaries and sung in prisons, meetings, and processions.Also read: Delhi sees massive traffic jam due to rain, Republic Day parade rehearsalsThe song was composed in 1875 by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay and envisioned the nation as Mother—sujalam, suphalam—abundant in nature, nurture, and inner strength. “During the colonial period, it restored dignity and self-belief, transforming devotion into courage and poetry into resolve, and uniting Indians across regions, languages, and faiths in a shared aspiration for freedom,” said the culture ministry.How Vande Mataram theme will be played outDuring the Republic Day parade, a series of paintings created by Tejendra Kumar Mitra in 1923, illustrating the verses of ‘Vande Mataram’ and published in the ‘Bande Mataram Album’ (1923), will be displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path during the parade, and at its conclusion, a banner depicting ‘Vande Mataram’ will be unveiled along with the release of rubber balloons.Also read: Rafale, BrahMos, S-400: Tri-services tableau to display Operation Sindoor action at Republic Day paradeAdditionally, the theme will be visible in floral decorations in front of the rostrum or dais and also the invitation cards and tickets designed for the Republic Day Parade 2026. Videos on Vande Mataram will also be played on screen at Kartavya Path.The Ministry of Culture will present a tableau on the theme during the parade, giving the journey of the song a visual form and featuring a complete version of the song.150 years of Vande Mataram discussed in ParliamentHours-long debates and discussions spanning over days on ‘150 years of Vande Mataram’ also dominated the Parliament winter session 2025, with both the government and the opposition trading barbs and making strong statements on the significance, relevance and cultural identity of the song.Home minister Amit Shah attacked the Congress party over the removal of two stanzas from the song when it turned 50, which he said, paved way for appeasement politics and subsequently the country’s partition. “Many people like me believe that if Congress had not divided Vande Mataram under its policy of appeasement, the country would not have been divided, and today the country would be whole,” Shah had said.However, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said that there need not be any “debate” on the national song and claimed that the BJP-led government wanted a debate on Vande Mataram in Parliament for “two reasons” — one being the upcoming election in West Bengal, a claim rebutted by Shah later, and the second, “yet another opportunity to abuse freedom fighters”."By doing this, the government wants to divert the country's attention from the essential issues concerning the public…Vande Mataram has always been dear to us, been sacred to us, and will always remain sacred to us," Gandhi had said, defending the history of her party.