A Question of Patriotism

patriotism (n): love for or devotion to (one’s) country

• from the Webster’s Third International Dictionary (unabridged)

This three volume dictionary was a gift from my father when I was about 14 years old - he, probably, thought I needed to improve my vocabulary. But that’s besides the point!

The reason I had to reaffirm my understanding of the word was due to the ruling by the Honourable Supreme Court of India on playing the National Anthem of the country before every movie is screened. 

On the sidelines - Some trivia regarding the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana:

It was written and composed by Nobel Laureate Shri. Rabindranath Tagore in honour of King George V and the Queen of England, when they visited India.

It was first sung at the session of the Indian National Congress held in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the year 1911.

The Constituent Assembly officially adopted the song as the National Anthem on January 24, 1950.

It is composed in Raga Alhaiya Bilawal, and, when sung correctly should take 52 seconds.

It describes the pluralism of India.

The other song that was considered was Vande Mataram by Shri. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (from his novel Anandmath) , but was attributed as being a hymn to Goddess Durga and was rejected as not being in tune with the secular ethos of India. This song was given the status of being the National Song.

Every time I sing the Anthem of my country, Jana Gana Mana (or Vande Matram, for that matter), I find myself get goose-bumps and my eyes well up. But this is not something peculiar to me; I’m sure many, many others do get emotional when they sing the Anthem of their country. It makes us emotional because of our sense of belonging, love and duty towards the country. In short, it reminds us of our patriotism towards our country. 

Now, surely a song so spirited and sacrosanct, that arouses in us emotions of patriotism for the country, must be sung and rendered in an environment and manner that befits it’s stature. 

The Honourable Supreme Court’s directive leaves one wondering if a cinema hall is the appropriate place for that. After all, people have gathered at a place to be entertained, to watch a few dances (some are definitely raunchy!), listen to some songs, watch some good wo/men fight the bad ones before the World becomes a happy place again! And, yeah, it might also have a few scenes of sexual intimacy thrown in for good measure. I shudder to think what might be in the mind of a person who enters a theatre to watch a pornographic film - would s/he harbouring thoughts of patriotism?! 

Having said that, I have experienced upheavals of the spirit of patriotism by the audience while watching many, many films - the scene from Roja where the protagonist extinguishes the fire the bad guys had set to the National flag and even the recent movie, Airlift. It’s just that feeling of extreme love and regard for the country that comes to the fore. 

The public discourse, lately, puts patriotism as a bargaining tool - if you are patriotic you will support demonetisation; if you are patriotic you wouldn’t mind standing in the long queues of inconvenience; if you are patriotic you will not question the (well-intentioned) government etc, etc.

Does standing  up for the Anthem at the cinema’s prove your patriotism? Well, one might just do that in the cinema hall and promptly pee on the road side soon after, or deface public property, or get involved in arson. Would the new rule absolve a person of her/his anti-National behaviour and prove her/him to be patriotic?

So, how should a citizen demonstrate her/his patriotism? The answer to it is simple: pay our taxes, keep our country clean, don’t destroy public property, respect our rich culture and heritage, exercise our right to vote to ensure we have good governance and contribute to the intellectual and creative pool of the country.

Jai Hind!