The Supreme Court of India had asked for 52 seconds of reverence for the national anthem before two or three hours of entertainment. It ordered that the national anthem be played before the screening of movies and people should stand up during that time. This was challenged by a fi lm society from Kerala saying it might inconvenience foreign delegates at a fi lm festival. The apex court shot this down by saying foreign delegates, too, should stand up and clarifi ed that only the differently abled were exempt. Now, the 21st International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.
The action of a few delegates who refused to stand up during the anthem and the subsequent police action have caught the attention of the international media too. If the intention was to grab the limelight, they have hit the bullseye. The open defiance was caught by cameras and the act was repeated forcing the police to act as well. The IFFK venues have since witnessed protests in support of the accused and against the move to “impose” the national anthem. Kamal, Chairman of the Kerala Film Academy, too criticised the police action provoking a BJP march to his residence. “There is no clause in the Constitution that says we must stand up while singing the national anthem...” was the argument of one of the delegates who scented elements of fascism in the issue.
The apex court, while issuing orders, took note of Article 51(A) of the Constitution, which makes respecting the national anthem a fundamental duty of every citizen and pointed out that it is clear that it is the sacred obligation of each citizen to abide by the ideals present in the Constitution. However, the present row at the international film festival was something that should have been avoided, whichever way you look at it. Surely, nationalism is best manifest when it is a natural expression, rather than when it gets enforced by the rule of law.