New Delhi, India - Politicians and millions of school children sang out to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a controversial national song which has split Hindu and Muslim leaders.
The Congress party-led government had asked schools to voluntarily mark the centenary of the adoption of "Vande Mataram -- "I bow to you, mother" -- as the national song by having children countrywide sing the verses.
But the main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ordered compulsory singing in five states under its rule, angering Muslims who say the song, which worships India as a goddess, goes against their religion.
The song whose title was the slogan used during India's independence movement against British colonial rule is separate from the national anthem.
In India's largest state Uttar Pradesh, Muslim leaders and school children assembled in the capital Lucknow to sing another popular song in praise of "India Sare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara" or "Our India is the best in the world."
"Singing 'Vande Mataram' is against our religion. But we don't want to be seen as unpatriotic, so we sang this song, which has the same spirit and flavour," said cleric Khalid Rashid.
On Sunday, the country's most powerful Sunni Islam seminary asked Muslims not to send their children to school Thursday to avoid singing the song.
In the industrial city of Kanpur, tens of thousands of children stayed away from schools after the administration ordered them shut because of threats by some Hindu nationalist organisations to enforce the order.
In the BJP-ruled Rajasthan state where the recitation was compulsory, many Islamic schools remained shut, amid celebrations which were held under tight security.
In Madhya Pradesh state, where the BJP rules, children joined in the celebrations waving the tricolour national flag.
BJP chief ministers and top political leaders led celebrations across the country in a show of support for the move. Congress leaders also participated in various functions to mark the centenary.