Deference to all anthems
The ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign reminded me of an incident that occurred a few months after the 1965 War with Pakistan. People of the then East Pakistan were not radicalised to consider India as their enemy, unlike people from West Pakistan. After the ceasefire, our ship was in the port of Chittagong. I was serving as Second Engineer. Since our ship was chartered for a full load of jute-made carpet backing, our stay in this port was quite long. One day, I, along with First Engineer, a turbaned Sikh like me, went to see a movie in a cinema house. Though East Pakistani citizens were wary of two turbaned Indians, we didn’t face any hostility, as was the case just before the war in Karachi, where we were even hooted at sometimes.
In the Chittagong cinema hall, we got admission after paying for the tickets. We were in Merchant Navy uniform and people sitting in adjoining seats felt uncomfortable. After the movie ended, the national anthem of Pakistan was played. Almost all the movie watchers didn’t bother to stand up. In fact, they left the cinema hall without paying any attention to the anthem, even as the screen showed the fluttering Pakistani flag and the image of Jinnah. But my companion and I stood at attention till the anthem ended. Our regard for the Pakistani anthem wasn’t lost on some other movie watchers, who, though they were about to leave, stopped in their tracks near their seats on seeing us standing, and left only after we left.
While we were leaving the premises, two persons from the cinema management greeted us in Punjabi and invited us to their office. They offered us cold drinks and wanted to refund our tickets, but we politely declined. One of them said, ‘When our own Pakistani people don’t care to give due respect to their flag and anthem, your standing at attention throughout the display and rendition of the anthem really should be a lesson to them.’
We thanked them for their hospitality and also mentioned that being guests, it was our duty to respect the sentiments of our hosts. We said that in the basic training during our cadetship, we took a vow to honour not only our traditions but also of the people of the country we may be visiting (as ambassadors of India) during our service in the Indian Merchant Navy.
Today, out of service and uniform, I still make it a point to stand at attention with reverence whenever I hear our National Anthem being played, even if it is on TV or in a movie I happen to watch.
