Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 14 (ANI): The Madras High Court’s Independence Day celebrations at its principal seat in Chennai, Madurai Bench and across the district judiciary will begin with the singing or playing of the National Song “Vande Mataram”, followed by flag hoisting and the National Anthem, according to a circular issued by the Registrar General.
The circular comes days after the Tamil Nadu government issued a Government Order mandating that “Tamil Thai Vaazhthu” be sung first at all state government functions. However, the High Court circular does not mention “Tamil Thai Vaazhthu” in the sequence of events.
According to the circular, the Independence Day celebrations organised by the Madras High Court, Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy, its regional centres, district judiciary units and the Union Territory of Puducherry will include the singing or playing of “Vande Mataram”.
“The sequence of events is the playing of the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’, hoisting of the National Flag, followed by the National Anthem,” the circular stated.
On August 6, a fresh row had erupted in Tamil Nadu over the protocol followed at official events, with 21 Members of Parliament writing to Governor R N Ravi Arlekar, urging restoration of the convention of rendering ‘Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu’ at the beginning of university and government functions.
In a letter dated August 5, the MPs referred to the sequence followed at the 33rd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli on July 28. According to the letter, instructions received from Raj Bhavan led to the event beginning with Vande Mataram, followed by the National Anthem, while ‘Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu’ was rendered third.
The MPs said placing the state anthem third was felt by many in Tamil Nadu as “an unintended slight” to the Tamil people and to Manonmaniam Sundaranar Pillai, after whom the university is named and who composed Neeraarum Kadaludutha. They noted that the song has been recognised as Tamil Nadu’s official state song since 2021 and has been sung at public functions for more than five decades.
Citing the Governor’s own address to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in June 2026, the MPs said the proceedings had begun with ‘Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu’ followed by the National Anthem and described the sequence at the university convocation as a departure from that practice. They also cited similar conventions followed in other states, including Karnataka, for rendering state anthems.
The MPs requested Raj Bhavan to issue “clear and advance guidance” to universities in Tamil Nadu to ensure that ‘Tamizh Thai Vaazhthu’ is rendered at the commencement of convocations and other official functions, with the National Anthem at the conclusion. (ANI)
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