Goosebumps

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I have this chronic sensation of goose bumps all over whenever I go for a movie at an Adlabs hall (movie theater chain). I am not sure when I discovered this apparent malady but since the last 4 or 5 years it happens every time - without fail!

After the usual advertisements, there is a roll of drums and screen message 'Please stand up for the National Anthem). Almost always, the response is immediate except for the popcorn laden people who get up an in the process create a carpet full of crunch. The tricolor flies high in the wind in full size in the screen in front while the National Anthem plays in the background. Most are still embarrassed to sing along though I do see a few lips moving. Most kids sing on top of their voices though and shout a spirited 'Jai Hind' at the end.

I don’t sing, but I swell with pride and patriotism when I hear the National Anthem and that is when the goose bumps appear. I can imagine how people who represent India in sporting events feel when they win a medal and the National Anthem of the winning country is played - I am sure they have an attack of the goose bumps as well.

I thank the founder of this movie theater chain for reminding us who we are, for having our moments of realization about the great country we belong to and teaching our children to be a proud Indian.

Comments

Sridevi said…
So true....We used to have the national anthem sung in the morning before school started, and vande mataram before we were allowed to go home. But, after school, the only occasions for such mass displays of patriotism seem restricted to Aug 15th. 3 cheers to the movie theaters for bringing it back into daily life!
7:35 PM
Anonymous said…
Doesn't it happen at all movie theatres and I thought, it was more like a rule to do it rather than the movie theatres taking an initiative.
8:28 PM
Winsome Reflections said…
Whenever I listen to or sing the National Anthem, I'm invariably reminded of our school assembly when after the final strains of "Jaya, Jaya, Jaya, Jaya He..." we'd immediately say - "Good Morning Sisters & Teachers"! Even now, due to my Pavlovian conditioning I say that in my head, if not aloud!!
11:51 AM
ichatteralot said…
@Sridevi: I guess the patrotism wave is catching on - we will soon see many more instances...

@Kausum: Hey! Where have you been? No not all movie halls - only the adlabs chain has this - maybe all should - this increases the audience!

@Winsome: :) We sang vande mataram and that too in a patendted tune!
1:44 PM
Nautilus said…
We never had to sing the National Anthem at school (I guess you already knew that :D) persay, but for the 4-5 years that diligently participated NCC activities, we had to sing not only the National Anthem, but also Saare Jahan Se Accha and Hum Sab Bhartiya Hai! Those songs still give me goosebumps and in addition these days I get all misty eyed when I see the Indian flag flying high! Must be the old age!! :)
9:22 PM
Nautilus said…
BTW, you've been tagged :)
2:00 AM
Malesh Ponnusamy said…
Suprising to see an off beat entreperneur with a sense of social commitment. A rare commodity in the globalised time we live in!!!

The only movie I remember in which almost the entire theatre stood up towards the end of the movie is Vidhu Chopra's 1942 A love story..........
He had the national anthem playing towards the climax.
8:02 PM
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