News in national dailies on August 11, 2026 had headlines like: ‘A first: Vande before anthem at Red Fort on I-day’. This will be followed by unfurling of the tricolor by the Prime Minister; and the national anthem. A post on social media says: “Now we can sing our Regimental Song before the State Song, then Vande Matram and then the National Anthem.” According to an analyst, the duration of Vande Matram is 3 mins 10 secs and the National Anthem is 52 secs. Do we realize that relegating the national anthem to second place after Vande Matram at the Independence Day function presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort amounts to insulting the national anthem.