{"id":357,"date":"2016-11-30T21:21:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-30T21:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=357"},"modified":"2016-12-02T00:00:35","modified_gmt":"2016-12-02T00:00:35","slug":"indian-court-orders-cinemas-to-play-national-anthem-before-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2016\/11\/30\/indian-court-orders-cinemas-to-play-national-anthem-before-films\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian court orders cinemas to play national anthem before films"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content__article-body from-content-api js-article__body\">\n<p>India\u2019s supreme court has ordered cinemas across the country to play the national anthem before film screenings to encourage citizens to \u201cfeel this is my country and this is my motherland\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Indians <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2016\/nov\/28\/india-bank-lines-controversy-cash-for-queuing\">weary from weeks of standing in queues<\/a> at banks and ATM machines will get no reprieve at the cinema: the court also directed that moviegoers should \u201cstand up in respect\u201d while the anthem is played.<\/p>\n<p>The decision by the country\u2019s highest court on Tuesday is one of number of recent developments that have drawn India\u2019s cinema industry into disputes over patriotism and national identity.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-comment--item \"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The panel of judges was responding to public interest litigation that claimed the national anthem was regularly being dishonoured, including in cinemas, where it was already required to be played before films in the states of Maharashtra and Goa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople should feel that they live in a nation and show respect to the national anthem and the national flag,\u201d the court said.<\/p>\n<p>Too much disrespect of national symbols had been indulged in the name of \u201cindividually perceived notions of freedom\u201d, it added.<\/p>\n<p>The Indian flag should be displayed and the doors of cinemas should be closed during the rendition to prevent people from entering or leaving, the court said.<\/p>\n<p>It also banned anybody from dramatising the national song, printing it on an \u201cundesirable object\u201d, singing an abridged version or making money from it.<\/p>\n<p>The anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was last ordered to be played in cinemas across <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/india\">India<\/a> after the country\u2019s 1962 war with China, but its strains were largely ignored by most moviegoers, and the practice was eventually discontinued.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"img-2\" class=\"element element-image img--landscape fig--narrow-caption fig--has-shares \">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gu-image\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/eac757f9d5fd3e89cf9c68a0117f0785afe03f7e\/0_218_4824_2894\/master\/4824.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=73f7fdc9004f136df7cc83f92fd0d25b\" alt=\"People watching a film at a cinema in Mumbai\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"block-share block-share--article hide-on-mobile \"><a class=\"rounded-icon block-share__item block-share__item--facebook js-blockshare-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=180444840287&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2016%2Fnov%2F30%2Findian-court-orders-cinemas-to-play-national-anthem-before-films%3FCMP%3Dshare_btn_fb%26page%3Dwith%3Aimg-2%23img-2&amp;picture=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.guim.co.uk%2Feac757f9d5fd3e89cf9c68a0117f0785afe03f7e%2F0_218_4824_2894%2F4824.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"u-h\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"rounded-icon block-share__item block-share__item--twitter js-blockshare-link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Indian%20court%20orders%20cinemas%20to%20play%20national%20anthem%20before%20films&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2016%2Fnov%2F30%2Findian-court-orders-cinemas-to-play-national-anthem-before-films%3FCMP%3Dshare_btn_tw%26page%3Dwith%3Aimg-2%23img-2\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"u-h\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"rounded-icon block-share__item block-share__item--pinterest js-blockshare-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?description=Indian%20court%20orders%20cinemas%20to%20play%20national%20anthem%20before%20films&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2016%2Fnov%2F30%2Findian-court-orders-cinemas-to-play-national-anthem-before-films%3Fpage%3Dwith%3Aimg-2%23img-2&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.guim.co.uk%2Feac757f9d5fd3e89cf9c68a0117f0785afe03f7e%2F0_218_4824_2894%2F4824.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"u-h\">Pinterest<\/span><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption caption--img caption caption--img\">People watching a film at a cinema in Mumbai. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Long known for its formulaic song-and-dance numbers, Indian popular cinema has in the past decade tackled significant social issues including religious tension \u2013 in My Name is Khan (2010), for example \u2013 and rape and sexual assault (Pink, 2016).<\/p>\n<p>But the industry has experienced pushback, including from India\u2019s censorship board, which in June ordered more than 90 changes to a film about drug problems in the state of Punjab, including the removal <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/06\/10\/world\/asia\/india-film-censor-orders-94-cuts-to-movie-about-punjabs-drug-problem.html\">of any references<\/a> to Punjab.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/1bfca2f2296413ab780e2453625e1ed04cdf45f3\/0_182_3430_2058\/master\/3430.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=85a9e5fd18b6d6574867c64e788ce995\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The cinema industry was caught up in recent tensions between India and Pakistan after 19 Indian soldiers were killed in Kashmir by militants with alleged Pakistani backing. The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association announced it was <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2016\/oct\/09\/indian-films-banned-pakistani-actors-ejected-how-the-kashmir-crisis-is-hitting-bollywood\">banning Pakistanis<\/a> from appearing in Indian films.<\/p>\n<p>Ultranationalist groups <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2016\/oct\/20\/mumbai-police-vow-to-protect-cinemas-showing-film-with-pakistani-actor\">threatened to disrupt<\/a> the screening of a Bollywood blockbuster starring Fawaz Khan, an actor from Lahore. Khan was forced to skip the premiere of the film over the controversy, and has not returned to India since.<\/p>\n<p>In Goa in October, Salil Chaturvedi, a writer and activist who uses a wheelchair, was <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/india-news-india\/writer-and-disability-campaigner-thrashed-in-goa-theatre-for-not-standing-up-during-national-anthem-3093030\/\">allegedly assaulted in a cinema<\/a> by another patron who was incensed that he had not stood during the anthem.<\/p>\n<p>The election in 2014 of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, a devotee of a Hindu nationalist ideology traditionally at odds with India\u2019s secular and pluralist political customs, has fuelled fierce debates over the country\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p>Critics say the political ascension of Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata party has emboldened Hindu supremacists and given voice to a more divisive and narrower definition of patriotism.<\/p>\n<p>Shylashri Shankar, a research fellow who has written a book on the Indian supreme court, said on Wednesday after the anthem ruling that it was \u201ca bit worrisome that it is, in a sense, putting its weight behind notions of nationalism and what it means to be Indian\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>She said she remembered the anthem being played at cinemas when she was a child, \u201cbut the notion of the anthem then was different to what it is now, when it is imbued with much more weight\u201d.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/41bd3d685051b93fbff44a5153e940368b4c8658\/0_227_6096_3658\/master\/6096.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=1a65dec981b057c1186dd1ab3d396eb1\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>One cinemagoer in south Delhi, 22-year-old Surabhi, said the order was \u201cgoing against what we go to the movies for\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to relax, to enjoy ourselves, to spend time with family and friends. We stand for the national anthem when it plays before a speech, or the Republic Day parade, or in school. At the beginning of a film it serves no purpose,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNationalism doesn\u2019t mean standing up for the national anthem, it means standing up for your country, for what\u2019s right. So encourage that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Furqan, 26, agreed. \u201cI don\u2019t have to prove my nationalism and patriotism every time I go anywhere. It\u2019s coming into our private spaces, our private lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Nitin Datar, head of the Maharashtra-based Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association, welcomed the supreme court\u2019s order. He said some of the country\u2019s 9,000 single-screen cinemas might struggle to implement the order quickly, but would have no trouble making sure its patrons stood during the anthem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are very few stray cases [where people don\u2019t stand] but otherwise the public respect the anthem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>(This article was retrieved from theguardian)<\/p>\n<div class=\"submeta\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s supreme court has ordered cinemas across the country to play the national anthem before film screenings to encourage citizens to \u201cfeel this is my country and this is my motherland\u201d. Indians weary from weeks of standing in queues at banks and ATM machines will get no reprieve at the cinema: the court also directed that moviegoers should \u201cstand up&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2016\/11\/30\/indian-court-orders-cinemas-to-play-national-anthem-before-films\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":358,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions\/358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}