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 these movie theater chains 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.

Indira is an IT professional who works and lives in Mumbai with her husband and son. She enjoys reading, writing, traveling, food and dabbling with tarot and astrology and writes regularly for her blog http://ichatteralot.blogspot.com and contributes to publications as a freelancer. She aspires to write a book sometime soon. She can be reached at indira_chatterjee@msn.com