Schools must sing ‘Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal’: WBBSE directive orders

Kolkata: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has issued a directive making it mandatory for all government and government-aided schools to sing “Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal” during the morning assembly.

The circular, released on Thursday, states that the move aims to uphold the pride and cultural heritage of Bengal.

The Rabindranath Tagore song — officially adopted as the state anthem in 2023 — will now form a compulsory part of school prayers. The government had earlier clarified that only a specific portion of the song, beginning with “Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal, Banglar Bayu, Banglar Phal…”, will be sung as the state anthem.

The decision reinforces Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s repeated emphasis on promoting Bengali language and identity. Over the years, her government has taken several steps to preserve the cultural distinctiveness of Bengal, both within and beyond the state.

The directive also comes at a time when sentiments around Bengali identity have been running high. Recently, in Assam, a Congress leader faced official backlash for singing Tagore’s “Amar Sonar Bangla”, which is also Bangladesh’s national anthem. In contrast, the Bengal government’s move is being seen as a strong assertion of regional pride and cultural unity — a politically significant gesture as the state heads towards crucial elections.