Nation

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

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