This is bad news for jingoists. The Supreme Court seems to have finally accepted its constitutional mandate, leaving the decision to the Centre on whether or not to have the national anthem played at cinema halls and other events
This is bad news for jingoists. The Supreme Court seems to have finally accepted its constitutional mandate, leaving the decision to the Centre on whether or not to have the national anthem played at cinema halls and other events.
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When the apex court had, last year, mandated that all present should stand when cinema halls play the national anthem 'in order to instill a feeling of patriotism among the people', it led to a flood of petitions to include schools and public offices under the ruling.
The vigilantism it unleashed is frightening. Last year, Salil Chaturvedi, a paraplegic athlete, was assaulted by a couple in a cinema hall in Goa when he did not -because he could not - stand when the national anthem was played.
Why did someone who had represented India in the international arena need to prove his patriotism? Just when did it become all right to shove patriotism down people's throats? Growing up, we have heard the national anthem played innumerable times back in school, but never once believed that someone not standing while it played was unacceptable. When did we give up free will to the diktats of extreme jingoism? When did we allow a mere ritual to be the gauge of patriotism? How many of our politicians, or us for that matter, enlist our sons and daughters in the defence forces?
We won't do that because it's either not lucrative enough or because it's too dangerous. The tokenism of standing up while the national anthem is played should more than suffice.
Now, we can only cross our fingers and hope that the government at the Centre will debate logically on the demerits of making this mandatory. Until then, let's all stand while we sing Jana Gana Mana...
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