Enforced patriotism

Mechanically intoning 'Jai Hind' makes little sense

It can be said safely that at 71 years, the Indian nation is mature enough for mandatory demonstrations of patriotism to be redundant. A year ago this month, the Supreme Court made precisely this point when it modified its 2016 ruling making it compulsory for cinema halls to play the national anthem. Making the action voluntary, the court observed that Indians cannot be expected to wear their patriotism on their sleeve. Somehow, politicians in Gujarat appear not to have gotten the memo on this. From this month, the state government has decided on an initiative to have school students respond