India is gearing up for its 77th Republic Day on January 26 with a special focus on the National Song, Vande Mataram. The Ministry of Defence has ordered a “Vande Mataram theme” for the day. European Union leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa will be the chief guests. They are likely to join President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the dais to watch the parade. This year marks 150 years since the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were published in 1875. To celebrate, the day will feature a torch relay and a special flypast, which might be moved to the middle of the parade to boost visibility and excitement. The Ministry of Culture plans to involve more people by linking its campaign with the My Bharat portal, which has over two crore users. There will also be musical performances by Army bands and school and NCC bands nationwide, celebrating the song that inspired Indian independence. On January 27, after the Republic Day events, the EU leaders and PM Modi will hold the EU-India Summit. They are expected to finalize the long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Other moves include using the "150 Years of Vande Mataram" logo in invitations and dropping the terms “VIP” and “VVIP” from passes. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will release 25 short films on Vande Mataram and its author, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Globally, Indian embassies will organize cultural evenings and a “Global Music Festival” around the National Song. Ambassadors will write articles explaining its significance in local newspapers. These plans were approved in a meeting led by Home Secretary Govind Mohan and cleared by a committee headed by Home Minister Amit Shah. However, it is unclear if the Vande Mataram theme will be a permanent feature for future Republic Days. Last year, the government had tried highlighting “Bharat” instead of “India” in invitations but returned to “Republic of India” for some events.