Patriotic guy stands up for the national anthem even when it plays in his mind

Tuesday, 12 January 2010 19:07

Written by neopatriot, oniouttapam news

Mumbai resident Sriram Savarkar, 39 years of age, residing in a Dadar colony apartment with his wife and two kids, is not your ordinary patriot who buys paper flags on the fifteenth of August every year for his kids or stands up when the national anthem plays at cinema theatres to show his patriotic fervour. Sriram Savarkar believes in being patriotic every waking moment of his life. Unlike your average nationalist, Sriram keeps a paper flag pinned to the shirt he wears, every day of the year and stands up to show his respect for the national flag even when India's national anthem plays only in his mind.

"It's extremely hypocritical to only stand up when the national anthem is being played when you are inside a cinema hall. A true patriot should show his respect for the country, for the tricolor and for the national anthem, whenever and wherever the anthem is played." Savarkar told his fellow passengers commuting with him in 8:25 AM Churchgate local after they failed to stand up when his mobile phone rang blaring the ring-tone "Jana Gana Mana".

tagore3 It is no surprise that Savarkar has set the ring-tone of his mobile to the national anthem. But what startles everyone around him is his reaction when he gets a call on his mobile. No matter where his location might be, he unfailingly stands up when his phone rings, letting the anthem play out for at least 30 seconds. His friends, colleagues and relatives complain that he never takes their calls immediately, but Savarkar is adamant in his refusal to change his weird behavior. "Whenever my mobile rings, I stand up and let my mobile play the national anthem for half a minute. It will be very disrespectful towards the anthem to interrupt it when it is playing by taking the call immediately. No call made to me is so urgent that it cannot wait for half a minute." said Savarkar.

Sriram has many a times lost his seat during his local train commutes due to his peculiar habit. Unsuspecting commuters not aware of his ultra-patriotism often grab his seat the moment he stands up when his mobile rings. This has led to minor scuffles as Sriram would demand that the commuter who took hold of his seat give it back to him. "Tujhya maila....I didn't stand up so that your can park your fat arse on my seat. Vacant my seat, you opportunistic piece of shit!" he once shouted at his fellow commuter which resulted in both coming to blows.

This wasn't the first time that he got into a fistfight with someone due to his insistence on standing up for the national anthem. Savarkar has a very low tolerance for anyone who refuses to wear his patriotism on his sleeve. While he grudgingly accepts that he can't force everyone to stand up whenever Jana Gana Mana plays on mobile phones, he is absolutely unwilling to tolerate such deviant behavior inside a cinema hall. "Anyone who is too lazy to stand up when the anthem is played in cinema theatres is anti-nationalist..a deshdrohi. These assholes who have no respect for Mother India have no business living in India. They should be thrown away into the Arabian sea or sent to Pakistan."

He once badly beat up a guy in a cinema hall who continued sitting even as the anthem was playing. "I wanted to kill that motha fucka. While our freedom-fighters sacrificed their lives to give India its freedom, these lazy ingrates can't even lift their asses up from their seats to show respect for the nation. What right do these dickheads have to live in this country?"

But Savarkar is unapologetic about his overt displays of patriotism. He has often got himself into embarrassing situations by his unbending, uncompromisable stand on standing up when the anthem is being played. "Once I was in the midst of an office meeting attended by my company's clients. I forgot to switch off my mobile. Unfortunately it rang just when the vice-president of sales was making an important presentation. I stood up for half a minute before cancelling the call and switched off my phone. The clients looked at me as if I had lost my mind. It was terribly embarrassing, but......" he tails off. "I now take care to switch off my mobile or change it to silent mode during such occasions."

Swati Savarkar, his wife of over a decade is fed up with his ridiculous displays of affection towards the country. "I wish he was as affectionate towards me and respected me as much as he respects the national flag and the anthem." said Swati with a sigh. "He insists that everyone in the home stand up whenever Jana Gana Mana comes up on television. Once he even beat up our 7-year old daughter when she continued playing with her toys disregarding the anthem."

"I'm afraid he is turning senile. Earlier he would stand up only when he heard the anthem being played on TV or when he got a call on his mobile. Nowadays he suddenly springs up to his feet, straightens his posture and stands with a vacant look in his eyes for no reason. 'I'm hearing Jana Gana Mana in my mind' he proffers by way of explanation for his ludicrous behavior." said his wife.

"Yes, I know I look stupid when I stand up suddenly startling people around me. But I love the national anthem so much that I often keep hearing it my mind. If standing up is the best way to show respect towards the national anthem, then I need to stand up even when I'm hearing the anthem in my mind. When it comes to loving and respecting your country, there should be no excuses or exceptions. Unlike others, I'm not a hypocrite. When I believe in something I believe in it wholeheartedly and practise my beliefs unflinchingly without caring what others think about me."