The other day we went for a movie, a late night show at a multiplex in Mumbai and as is ceremonial here the National Anthem was played before the start of the movie.
Whenever I have been a part of this ritual, I have always hummed the tune and also tried to see through the corner of my eyes if the person next to me is also doing the same. Some find this ritual funny, but I don’t and I try to give the national anthem the respect that is due to it.
So, this day that I am talking about, the anthem was being played and almost everyone was at least standing. I used the phrase “at least standing” here because that is the minimum that is expected out of us when the Anthem is being played. And I used “almost” because not everyone was showing that minimum respect due also.
Down the aisle was an elderly lady, who was sitting while the anthem was being played. I had also noticed that towards the start of the Anthem a younger lady accompanying the elderly has even nudged her to get up and I had noticed the very prominent gesture of negation. And throughout the Anthem my eyes were glued to the lady (for no other reason!!).
But as we have another ritual in India “Chalta hai” no-one seemed to have been pained by the disrespect that the elderly has just shown towards the Anthem. The movie started, and we all got engrossed in the movie. It was an interesting movie.. don’t remember which one though!
It was interval, when we saw commotion down the aisle. A couple of agitated voices and violent hand gestures. I quickly realized what it was!
A young guy had supposedly gone to the lady and pointed out to her that she was not standing for the Anthem. Bas itna kehna tha, and the whole group accompanying the lady went defensive. I think, I also heard the lady say, “You don’t know! I am a very patriotic person”. The younger woman accompanying the elderly was heard saying, “Mind your business”. All this while the young guy was standing there and smiling, not uttering a single word.
Probably his simple intervention had made a big blow to the conscience of the elderly and the group accompanying her! Probably all her justifications were directed towards that inner guilt conscience than to its outer stimulus!
We couldn’t help but admire the young man who by now had already walked up the aisle and was quietly sitting at his seat while the agitated group downstairs was still settling in!
My mind wandered off to the old song that all of us would have once hummed in the schools, at least mechanically…
विजयी विश्व तिरंगा प्यारा
झंडा ऊंचा रहे हमारा
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