Long story short, I
went to a mall with my friends when I was dragged into the multiplex to watch a
movie. My friends sponsored my ticket (yay me!). Inside, I was giggling,
chatting around, giving spoilers and critiquing as the movie was progressing.
True, I held Mary
Kom in high regard. True, I was not comfortable with the casting for the film. False, I hated the movie. 2 hours passed
quite easily, and the last scene took us to the final match where Mary Kom was
announced the winner. The emcee asked the people in the stadium to stand up for
the national anthem. A melodious instrumental version of the Indian national
anthem reverberated inside the multiplex. I wondered whether we
should also stand. It was our national anthem after all, and the least we could
do to show respect to our anthem, country and the freedom struggle is to stand
straight, still and silent.
I even conveyed my
thought to my friend. Just then, I noticed a guy from the 1st row stand. I
ignored it thinking he may have a phone call to attend. Then, a guy from the
3rd row and later a guy from the 2nd row stood up. They all have phone calls to
attend? Lucky that I was part of the last row, I saw the entire 4th row stood
up in unison. It was the 100th Monkey Experiment, revamped. That
gave me the needed signal. Even I stood up, and urged my friends to do the
same. Soon, the entire multiplex hall was witness to a rare phenomenon. The
audience was standing in rapt attention, respecting the national anthem. I
didn't see the screen-light of a single smart-phone turn on amid this. We stood
straight with pride on our faces.
The anthem met its
end, and people sat back as if picture abhi
baaki hai (there's still more to see). The credits started to roll, and
we started moving slowly towards the aisle. In some strange way, I felt
connected to all of them. I knew none in that crowd, apart from my friends.
But, I felt that I could talk to any of them. Few were from north-east, few
were from Kerala, and one was a Punjabi. All so different; yet so same.
Because, we all stood for our national anthem. We all loved our country this
much. I felt elated.
Back on our way to
the food court, I saw my friend's faces. Even they were in their own trances.
We did discuss what we just witnessed. We all were civil services aspirants, so
naturally we were reminded of the rules and procedures of the National Flag and National
Anthem of India. But, did the audience back in the multiplex know
about the rules? Maybe not. Yet, they stood up. That, in my view, was amazing.
Thank you, director sir -- for this unprecedented experience. Thank you for
being the unwitting cupid in uniting a set of 100 strangers, even for a bare
minute.
P.S. The gray, bold phrases are actually hyperlinks.
For more, visit Vivek Apparently Writes
0 comments:
Post a Comment