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NEW DELHI. – India’s Supreme Court yesterday made it mandatory for all theatres across the country to play the national anthem before any movie screening and also ordered people should show honour and respect during the time.“India’s national anthem must be played in all cinema halls before a movie starts. The national anthem must be accompanied by an image of the tricolour (Indian flag) on the silver screen,” the apex court said.

“Citizens must respect the national anthem and flag. When the national anthem is played, it’s imperative for all to show honour and respect. It would instill a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism” the court further said.

The court also made it clear that the national anthem should not be commercially exploited or dramatised. “There should not be any commercial exploitation of the national anthem,” it said.

Reflecting pluralism, Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India.

Written in regional language Bengali, the first of five stanzas of the Brahmo hymn titled Bharata Bhagya Vidhata is attributed to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. India’s Constituent Assembly had first adopted the song as the National Anthem of India in 1950.

A formal rendition of the national anthem takes 52 seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally. – Xinhua.