Veenu Sandhu: Nationalism in spirit, not rituals

The country's top court choosing to reduce nationalism to performing a ritual compulsorily does not augur well for democracy

Lights out. Doors shut. Put away that popcorn and cold drink. Now, rise and prove your patriotism. The national anthem is playing. Show respect to it. Or you are in contempt of the highest court of the land. Imagine this playing out in cinema halls across India. The Supreme Court has ruled that “all the cinema halls in India shall play the national anthem before the feature film starts” and given 10 days for the country to implement it. The top court has decided “all present in the hall are obliged to stand up to show respect to the national anthem” as a part ...

TO READ THE FULL STORY, SUBSCRIBE NOW AT JUST Rs 149 A MONTH

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Veenu Sandhu: Nationalism in spirit, not rituals