Nerve Endings Firing Away

Couple of weeks back, I read about an interesting dramatization of an incident [via India Uncut] in an Indian theater. Like I have heard, the national anthem plays during a movie showing and this has led to usually apathetic response on one side and totally ‘violent’ responses on the other. I still do not understand the necessity of playing the national anthem during a movie but I guess, the concept sells well for the nationalistic lobby that believes that we could do with a little dose of patriotism occasionally. In previous days, we stood for the national anthem during school assemblies and on the Independence day. We learnt that we are supposed to stand up when the anthem was played, we shouldn’t talk or indulge in any disruptive behavior, and the ‘official’ anthem should last 54 (or was it 52?) seconds. Students respected the anthem and anyone found disrespecting the anthem by either not standing up or talking was sneered/ criticized by their peers. A social deterrent kept the patriotism ‘alive’, if at all that was the objective. You rather not incur the wrath of your classmates whom you interacted with everyday by appearing to disrespect the anthem. If you felt that those ’54 seconds’ could be used more efficiently, you kept those views to yourself in fear of being chastisized as a traitor.

Now cut to the scene of a theater playing the national anthem. You are amongst people you are unlikely to know at a personal level or even meet again. Especially if you are a teenager, you would rather do something that is usually not done. Nobody intends to ‘disrespect’ the country, they are simply making a statement — you cannot making me stand for a song. Of course, they hardly care about the opinions of people around them. People around them are shocked to see such blatant disrespect for ‘freedom that we fought for and you youngsters have no respect for’. They respond by asking them to stand up. Ones that do not want any conflict from an incensed majority comply, others simply want to create a nuisance and refuse. That is when all hell breaks loose. Everyone forgets that the national anthem is still playing and get busy in making the arrogant teenagers stand and ‘respect the national anthem’. Occasionally, a celebrity gets involved and slaps the perpetrator for ‘disrespecting elders’ (a whole different issue) and the news makes headlines. The young generation gets unanimously criticized for being apathetic towards the country and soon everyone between the ages of 12-25 is painted with an unpatriotic brush. SwB doesn’t feel any more patriotic by singing the national anthem and as he observes neither do many people in cinema halls.

I would ask those incensed people to cool down. You cannot impose patriotism on anyone; even if you do you are not achieving your objectives of instilling ‘desh prem’. If you respect your anthem then stand up and stay mum. Let the trouble makers be; simply report them to the authorities (if they indulge in foul language and bad behavior) at the end of the anthem. Not standing for a national anthem is a personal choice as well as a personal statement. They are responsible for the social consequences. After all, it is just a matter of 54 seconds.