15 January,2018 11:17 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Samiksha Bhatnagar
A lot that has been said about the supreme court's decision to make it optional to play the National Anthem before screening a film in theatres. Well, Samiksha Bhatnagar agrees with this decision and hopes that it is followed. "It's true that people go to the cinema for undiluted entertainment and to forget their worries. Hence I'm in complete agreement with SC's landmark decision to make it optional to play the National Anthem before movies," she said.
The National anthem means a lot to her and she says that it must be respected. "I absolutely love India's National Anthem, it fosters unity, especially given the cultural diversity which we have here. We learn how to sing it before we can read the alphabets and we stand ramrod straight as a mark of respect when it plays. Above all that, my country's anthem reminds me that, unlike so many other parts of the world, I am free in India and nobody is expected to wear patriotism on their sleeves," she says.
The actor feels that such things cannot be imposed. "Most national anthems are not meant to codify or police our behavior; they are songs of freedom. They are a celebration of what our countries are, or should aspire to be. This is why I admire the take-a-knee campaign by NFL players and other athletes in America. This is not an insult to America; it's a citizenry that is peacefully engaged in wanting better for their people. What could be more patriotic than that? Incidentally, social media turned their attention to anthem etiquette this time for US president Donald Trump, looked like he struggled with the words on the National Anthem in a college football game in Atlanta," she says, adding, "Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice as to whether a person sings the anthem or just stands respectfully."
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