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The Centre is preparing to give this year’s Republic Day celebrations a Vande Mataram theme - while also hosting senior European Union leaders as chief guests. The combination, officials say, is meant to underline both cultural messaging and diplomatic engagement.
Both the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are expected in New Delhi for the January 26 parade, per reports in The Hindu. The two leaders will share the dais with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the main ceremony at Kartavya Path.
The Ministry of Defence has cleared plans to incorporate the theme across the event. This includes a torch relay, a themed flypast, and branding linked to the 150th year since the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were published in 1875.
Vande Mataram theme for Republic Day 2026: What's different this year
Several administrative changes are also being considered, according to reports from The Hindu.
The Home Ministry has reviewed proposals to replace ‘VIP’ and ‘VVIP’ labels on passes and enclosures. Invitations may carry the ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’ logo instead.
The Ministry of Culture plans to link its participation portal with the My Bharat platform, which officials say has a user base of about two crores. Army bands, school groups, college ensembles and NCC units are expected to perform across cantonments and campuses.
There is also a proposal to shift the flypast from the end of the parade to the middle. The reason given: visibility.
EU-India summit and FTA talks on January 27
The visit is not limited to ceremonial appearances.
On January 27, the two EU leaders are scheduled to attend the EU-India Summit with the Prime Minister. Those involved in the planning said the meeting is expected to push negotiations on the long-pending Free Trade Agreement - which has seen repeated delays over tariff, data, and market-access concerns - forward.
Inviting leaders of a multilateral bloc as chief guests is unusual - but not without precedent. In 2018, India invited leaders from the ASEAN grouping. A similar plan to host Central Asian leaders was in place in 2022 - it was cancelled due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Media and overseas outreach
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been asked to produce 25 short films on the National Song and its author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
The Ministry of External Affairs has been instructed to organise cultural evenings abroad. Indian missions are also expected to place opinion pieces on the theme in local newspapers.
It is not yet clear whether the thematic rebranding will become permanent. Similar branding experiments in previous years have later been rolled back.
Both the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are expected in New Delhi for the January 26 parade, per reports in The Hindu. The two leaders will share the dais with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the main ceremony at Kartavya Path.
The Ministry of Defence has cleared plans to incorporate the theme across the event. This includes a torch relay, a themed flypast, and branding linked to the 150th year since the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were published in 1875.
Vande Mataram theme for Republic Day 2026: What's different this year
Several administrative changes are also being considered, according to reports from The Hindu.
The Home Ministry has reviewed proposals to replace ‘VIP’ and ‘VVIP’ labels on passes and enclosures. Invitations may carry the ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram’ logo instead.
The Ministry of Culture plans to link its participation portal with the My Bharat platform, which officials say has a user base of about two crores. Army bands, school groups, college ensembles and NCC units are expected to perform across cantonments and campuses.
There is also a proposal to shift the flypast from the end of the parade to the middle. The reason given: visibility.
EU-India summit and FTA talks on January 27
The visit is not limited to ceremonial appearances.
On January 27, the two EU leaders are scheduled to attend the EU-India Summit with the Prime Minister. Those involved in the planning said the meeting is expected to push negotiations on the long-pending Free Trade Agreement - which has seen repeated delays over tariff, data, and market-access concerns - forward.
Inviting leaders of a multilateral bloc as chief guests is unusual - but not without precedent. In 2018, India invited leaders from the ASEAN grouping. A similar plan to host Central Asian leaders was in place in 2022 - it was cancelled due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Media and overseas outreach
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been asked to produce 25 short films on the National Song and its author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
The Ministry of External Affairs has been instructed to organise cultural evenings abroad. Indian missions are also expected to place opinion pieces on the theme in local newspapers.
It is not yet clear whether the thematic rebranding will become permanent. Similar branding experiments in previous years have later been rolled back.
