First Person | Public Display of Patriotism

Ghazala Wahab

When the Supreme Court ordered compulsory playing of the national anthem in the cinema halls last year to instil ‘committed patriotism and nationalism’ amongst our wayward citizenry, I merely shook my head sadly. What a ridiculous order, I thought to myself before forgetting about it.

A few days later, I went to see a movie. Kicking my shoes off, I pulled up my feet on the seat, balanced a pack of popcorns on my crossed legs and pushed the backrest to the maximum possible recline. But even before I could shove the first fistful of popcorns in my mouth, the national anthem began. I had forgotten about it completely. As people all around me rose lazily, I scrambled too and stepped on my bag placed next to my shoes. The popcorns went for a toss and the water bottle perched precariously on the glass holder rolled down, as I tried to muster a semblance of dignity for myself, and honour and pride for my national anthem.

It was over in just a few seconds, but in those few seconds my thoughts were not focussed on my