Gautam: Hi, this is Gautam Gambhir, I want to know the truth about,
why there was a debate about National Anthem
where people said that is our wish, it is our right whether we should stand for the National Anthem or not?
My personal belief is that, this country has given you so much
and there should not be any debate about standing for fifty-two seconds
and I’m a complete believer that people should stand for the National Anthem
because the least you can do for your country is that respect your National Anthem,
whether it is played in the cinema halls, wherever it is played.
Whether it’s played in the schools or wherever it is, irrespective, wherever the National Anthem is,
we should stand for fifty-two seconds and again I want to know the truth about that.
Sadhguru: Namaskaram Gautam!
Isn’t it ridiculous that you should even ask a question like this in our country today, unfortunately?
We must understand this, what is a nation?
Nation is not some God-given thing. It is an idea that all of us have agreed to.
A nation is instilled in the form of its constitution and the symbolism of nation
comes to us in the form of a flag, of the anthem.
So the question is, if we want to operate as a nation, if we want to live as a nation,
if we want to prosper as a nation, if you want to excel as a nation,
is it important to have pride and allegiance to the nation?
I am not someone who is talking about “Nationalism.” No. I am for “Humanism.”
I am for universality of human existence.
But right now the largest number of people or the largest segment of population that you can address is a nation.
India as a nation is 1.3 billion people. It’s a world by itself.
If we do not build a sense of… strong sense of nationhood we cannot prosper,
we cannot contribute to the world’s well-being, we cannot be of any significance.
So, anthem is just one aspect of it. Should I stand up or not?
Well, if you have no legs, you don’t have to stand up.
But even if you have no legs you must show some… some sense of respect for the anthem and the flag
because these are the symbols of nationhood. It is through this, a nation is integrated.
If you cannot sing your anthem with pride, then where is the question of nationhood?
Now should I particularly stand up in a cinema hall? Why should I stand up in a cinema hall?
I’ve come there for entertainment! Okay, let me ask such people a question.
When did you last participate in the Republic Day Parade?
When did you last go and attend a flag hoisting of Independence Day?
When did you go and sing a national anthem somewhere else,
maybe only when… in High school when you were forced to do it, you did.
Since then you are only eating off this nation, benefitting from this nation!
You don’t want to contribute to this nation.
Well, you must understand Indian Army,
is over a million strong and plus we have other wings of the forces like the Navy and the Air Force.
These million and odd people, they are standing at our borders, constantly risking their lives, every day.
Every day you hear casualties.
Well, please tell them that we don’t care a damn for this nation so that they can also go home and live their lives.
Why are they standing there to protect this nation at the cost of their life;
if you don’t care anything about this nation?
It is important that a sense of nationhood is strongly built
into the minds and hearts of every youth and every citizen in this country.
This is one thing unfortunately we have failed to do post-independence.
This should have been done immediately after independence
because nation exists only in our minds and hearts.
This process was not done effectively post-independence
when there was an enormous emotion and spirit about the nation, it should have been done.
Unfortunately we’ve not done.
A whole lot of people have identified themselves with their religions, their caste, their creed,
their sex and their clubs and whatever else
and above all their own sense of crude individuality.
Should we stand up for the nation?
One-hundred percent!
So is anthem a part of standing up for the nation?
Yes!
Fifty-two seconds (Laughs). Is there a debate about this?
The people (Laughs) who’re raising this question are those people
where in one hand they have overfull pop-corn can and a coke in the other.
And obviously they cannot stand up without spilling something, this must be the argument.
Let this argument stop!
If we are concerned about these four hundred-million people
who are not even properly nourished in this country,
it is important that we bind this nation with a strong emotion of nationhood.
Without this there will be no nation because nation is not a God-given thing,
nation is an agreement that we have all come to that when we say we are of this nation,
we’ve agreed that there are certain things that we will value, respect and stand up for!