from daijiworld's special correspondent
Panaji, Sep 7: Thousands of students today sang the Vande Mataram in schools across Goa, where singing of the National Song was optional.
Though it is not compulsary, students participated in the singing at 1100 hours, said M K Sheikh, chairman of Goa Educational Development Corporation and Principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Higher Secondary School, Fatorda.
"All our 1,500 students sung the national song. Our students are taught meaning of the song before singing it," said Subhash Velingkar, Principal, Vidya Prabodhini School at Porvorim, about five km from here.
Hundreds of people sung `Vande Mataram' at historic Azad Maidan here at a function orgainsed by BJP's State unit.
"We had organized 13 different programmes in all the 11 talukas in which thousands of people participated to sing this national song," Goa BJP chief Rajendra Arlekar, stated.