I have never quite understood why the national anthem is played in our theaters before the start of any movie. Every time, for one creepy moment at least, that gives me a weird feeling of staying in a state-controlled country. Of course, I must also admit that it does have its share of moments of pride and amusement at the same time - at least for me. I said "pride" because whatever its shortcomings, problems and downright inefficiencies, I am proud of my country and whatever it has achieved since independence. True, we could have done a lot better but we also could have done a lot worse. The fact that we didn't means that there must be some things that we are doing right. And I am sure if we keep that up and couple it with pulling up our performance in the rest we will get there sooner than later.
Oh, before this post starts sounding like a 15th August speech, I must clarify the "amusement" part of it. If you are sitting in the back portion of the cinema hall, you have a clear view of all the rows and their occupants. Most of them don't know what's to be done with their hands. Some hang them loose by their sides, some fold them in front of them and others keep alternating between the two positions.
Okay, now let me come to the real reason why I am writing about this. When I was in the cinema hall today, the screen showed 'Please stand for the National Anthem' as usual. As soon as all of us got up, a small kid showed up on the screen in place of the Tricolor. Just when I was about to put it down to the inefficiency of whosoever is responsible for these things, I realized that the getup of the kid looked familiar - she looked like Zhansi Ki Rani LakshmiBai - a prominent figure in India's freedom struggle. Soon more kids showed up on screen - dressed as GandhiJi, Netaji SubhashChandra bose and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The kids gathered on stage for their school's Annual Program and then started singing the national anthem as their parents soon joined in.
Though my all-time favorite is "Maa Tuze Salaam", I think this one was pretty neatly made and I would prefer it anytime over the one that just plays the song against the picture of the Tricolor the whole time.
Oh, before this post starts sounding like a 15th August speech, I must clarify the "amusement" part of it. If you are sitting in the back portion of the cinema hall, you have a clear view of all the rows and their occupants. Most of them don't know what's to be done with their hands. Some hang them loose by their sides, some fold them in front of them and others keep alternating between the two positions.
Okay, now let me come to the real reason why I am writing about this. When I was in the cinema hall today, the screen showed 'Please stand for the National Anthem' as usual. As soon as all of us got up, a small kid showed up on the screen in place of the Tricolor. Just when I was about to put it down to the inefficiency of whosoever is responsible for these things, I realized that the getup of the kid looked familiar - she looked like Zhansi Ki Rani LakshmiBai - a prominent figure in India's freedom struggle. Soon more kids showed up on screen - dressed as GandhiJi, Netaji SubhashChandra bose and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The kids gathered on stage for their school's Annual Program and then started singing the national anthem as their parents soon joined in.
Though my all-time favorite is "Maa Tuze Salaam", I think this one was pretty neatly made and I would prefer it anytime over the one that just plays the song against the picture of the Tricolor the whole time.
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