Today, everyone all over the country is scrambling to prove they are nationalists and patriotic whether politically, commercially or individually. But when the government made it mandatory to play the national anthem at movie halls and said that the audience must stand for it, everybody from the man on the street to theatre managements to Bollywood personalities to the Opposition parties were vociferous in their objections. Your objections cannot colour your actions when the national anthem is played anywhere. Every government document stipulates that when the nation anthem is sung or played, every Indian citizen is to stand AT ATTENTION and singing along with it is DESIRABLE.

YET….Just take a look around any film theatre when the Anthem is being played. Despite a previous frame announcing that it is about to play, most people in the audience reluctantly and leisurely come to their feet. While it is being played, let alone stand at attention, most people will fidget, check their hair, turn their head 360 degrees around and the general air is, ‘when will this end?’ Even before the strains of the second-last ‘Jaye He’ are sounding, people are looking around to sit down in their seats. Forget singing the Anthem along, squeaky voices of their kids interrupt the playing. Now that is 2017 Indian nationalism for you!

I am not in any way supporting louts who beat up people in theatres who couldn’t or wouldn’t stand for the Anthem. All I would like you to reflect on are a few thoughts.

Amidst all the hurry and scurry of modern life, does it occur to the average movie-goer, that these 52 seconds gives one a chance to respect the country of your citizenship by simply standing at attention for its Anthem, singing it and remembering the many people who had sacrificed and are still sacrificing their lives under its flag? Each one of us could use that moment to introspect about the country which has given us so many freedoms as an Indian citizen. We ought to be proud that we are citizens of such a country. There are millions around the world whose countries don’t allow them to enjoy the same freedoms. Just take the freedom of choice. You can choose to live and work where you wish in this country. You can choose to wear what you wish within decorum. You can choose to eat… you can choose to…oh there so many choices. You have to only read about other countries around the globe, where people don’t have many of these choices that we take for granted.

Coming back to respecting the national flag and the national anthem, students in all schools are taught this value very early because most schools conclude daily morning assemblies singing the national anthem in a respectful mood, attitude and behaviour. It is only when we leave school behind that we believe it is our choice to no longer respect these national symbols. And we teach the same to our children through our example. In USA, the country most Indians admire so much and aspire to go to, the national flag is daily raised and lowered on all government buildings everywhere, even in its remotest hamlet; even post offices fly the Stars and Stripes. If their national anthem is played, people stand instantly at attention, one hand on their heart in respect and sing along whether they are in the office, a restaurant or on the street. They are never embarrassed to display their nationalism overtly. In fact they are proud to be Americans. Are we proud to be Indians?

Tomorrow the country celebrates 70 years of India’s independence. While school children will swelter for hours at Red Fort waiting to hear bombastic speeches from its ramparts, rest of us will carry out a ritualistic flag raising, gobble laddoos and celebrate a holiday sleeping, eating, watching movies and generally relaxing with nary a thought to the significance of the day.

Every day soldiers are risking their lives and dying to protect us and our nation. The least we could do to display our pride in our nation is by respecting its national symbols in the right way. Why can’t we salute the flag and the anthem by standing properly at attention and sing the anthem? Does it take too much of our time and effort?

Don’t forget India is not a patch of colour on a map. India is us! It is our Tricolour and our ‘Jana gana Mana…’ that binds us into one country that is the Incredible India.

Be proud to be Indians.

First published in storyfuntastika,com. All rights reserved. @Sutapa Basu 2017