The Supreme Court of India is well known for its vacations, taking respite from the weary work of law, appeals, and constitutions via numerous short breaks for public holidays and religious festivals, in addition to the month and a half it spends annually enjoying the early summer sun.
But when the sun goes down, as the number of pending cases rises, how do the Chief Justice and thirty other judges like to spend their vacations? By visiting the cinema of course, and with India the busiest producer of films in the world – outstripping Hollywood and the controversially named ‘Nollywood’ – there ought to be plenty of fare to choose from.
But while India’s reputation for great cinema is well deserved, the Supreme Court decided this week that it wanted to get in on the action, feeling that the cinema-going experience would be improved if everyone was forced to stand and sing before each and every screening. Several songs were considered, including ‘Pump Up the Jam’ by Technotronic and Lana Del Rey’s ‘National Anthem’, but in the end they settled judiciously on India’s own anthem of choice, ‘Jana Mana Gana’ by Rabindranath Tagore.
The decision that the national anthem of India must be played by every cinema before every film screening comes on the crest of a wave of nationalist sentiment. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slashed spending on health, welfare, and the environment, in late September the Indian Army boasted its boosted defence credentials, claiming ‘surgical strikes’ on militants in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. As tensions continued to simmer, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association announced that it would no longer screen films featuring Pakistani actors.
Reaching its decision, the Supreme Court said that the playing of the national anthem would instill ‘a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism’ in Indians, adding ‘Be it stated, the time has come, the citizens of the country realize that they live in a nation and are duty bound to show respect to the national anthem’. While it plays, the anthem is to be accompanied by assorted images of the Indian flag.
But if nationalism provides the backdrop, the case was instigated by one man in particular, Narayan Chouksey, 78 years old. In an interview Chouksey explained that he petitioned the court based on an incident which occurred all of 15 years ago, when he proudly stood while one cinema played the national anthem, only for his fellow revellers to object, telling him to sit down and ‘Let us watch the movie’. ‘It hurt me very badly’, lamented Chouksey, and he has evidently been stewing ever since.
So do as Chouksey would, and arrive at the cinema early. Set down your samosas and sandwiches filled with cheese and chutney, stand to attention, fill your lungs with air, and do as best you can to avoid lip syncing. Rehearse your lines if you must, remember the script, and understand that today art and recreation too can be a patriotic experience.
