School children rendering Vande Mataram
| Photo Credit: V. RAJU
The official oath-taking ceremony of C. Joseph Vijay, as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, on May 10 saw the playing of the national song Vande Mataram at the beginning and end of the event, before the national anthem and the Tamil anthem (Tamil Thai Vaazhthu — a song praising Mother Tamil). Written in 1871, the Tamil anthem has been sung at all Tamil Nadu government events since 1970, following an order issued by the then Chief Minister, Mr. Karunanidhi. It is a secular song that praises the language and culture of the land without invoking any specific religion.In 2018, controversy erupted when the Kanchi Pontiff, Shri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, refused to stand during the Tamil anthem. A legal case was filed, and in 2021, Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court said that the Tamil Anthem was only a prayer song and that there was no executive or statutory order requiring people to stand. Then, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government under M. K. Stalin declared Tamil Thai Vaazhthu the State song and mandated that everyone, except persons with disabilities, should rise while it is sung. It has been performed before the national anthem at all State government events. Published - May 15, 2026 08:30 am IST
