India, Dec. 9 -- The first day of the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature opened in Nagpur with members of both houses reciting the full version of Vande Mataram to mark the 150th anniversary of the national song.

As per tradition, the session began with the customary recital of the national song, followed by the official state song Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha. This year, however, the full rendition of the song was included to commemorate its 150 years.

Legislative assembly speaker and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rahul Narwekar said, "We all know that the Vande Mataram song from Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's Anandmath had become a battle cry and an inspiration during the freedom fight. As the song completes 150 years, the house w...