National Song

• Our national song is ‘Vande Matram’, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji.
• It was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.

National Anthem

• Indian National Anthem is the first stanza of Rabindra Nath Tagore’s composition called ‘Jana Gana Mana’
  originally composed in Sanskritized Bengali. 
• It was translated to Hindi and Urdu by Abid Ali.
• It was first sung in 1911 convention of Congress.
• Rabindranath Tagore translated “Jana Gana Mana” from Bengali to English and also set it to music in Madanapalle.
• The National Anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore as early as in 1911 and was sung at the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Calcutta on 27 December that year.
• But it was actually done in Besant Theosophical College, Madanapalle, where Tagore stayed for few days in February 1919 that the now familiar tune was set.

Legislations and Rules regarding National Symbols

• Article 51A of the Constitution makes it a fundamental duty for every citizen of India to abide by the
  Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the national flag and the national anthem.
• The Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971 deals with cases of insults to the Constitution, the
  national flag and the national anthem and provides for penal provision for insulting these symbols.
• Flag Code of India, 2002 is not a law but a consolidation of executive instructions issued by the Government
  of India from time to time and contains detailed instruction for observing such behaviour which will not
  disrespect the National Flag.