National Anthem evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions, and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation’s government as the official national song. National anthems are used in a wide array of contexts.
In a recent incident that took place in Saidabad, Baghara, eight teachers along with the principal of a private school had quit their job on Friday. They were protesting against the manager’s decision of not allowing students to sing the Indian National Anthem on Independence Day.
Earlier, he had banned singing Vande Mataram and Saraswati Vandana. When asked about the reason for not allowing singing the National Anthem, the manager said that ‘the anthem goes against the community and should not be allowed to sing in schools.”
Teachers Protest Against School Manger’s decision:
The manager is running two schools and both the schools are not affiliated. Upon the manager’s decision for not allowing singing the National Anthem, teachers of a particular community on Friday quit their jobs in protest against the decision of the manager.
Principal Ritu Shukla said, “I was supposed to make preparations for Independence Day programme. The National Anthem was to be sung after the unfurling of the Tricolour. We had also lined up Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram for the event. On Thursday, the programme was presented to manager and owner of the school Zia-ul-Haq. He said that Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram hurt the sentiments of the community. Then he raised objections to a line of National Anthem and said this too will not be sung.”
When the teachers and the principal protested against the manager’s decision, he said those who are objecting to my decision on National Anthem could leave the school. Thus, eight teachers decided to resign and quit their job.
“I had said that in the National Anthem there is a line ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata…’ which was misconstrued. ‘Bharat’ cannot be our Almighty or master of fate and it is ‘Allah’, who has the power to change our future and no one else,” the manager said.
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