Full National Anthem or Full Poem?

First time in 65 years- hear and sing- the “Full National Anthem” screamed NDTV 24*7 on their prime time bulletin last night. Earlier in the day I read The Times Of India claiming to 'present'- The Full National Anthem'. On their loud and ever so sensational channel Times Now too they were going to unviel the ‘Full National Anthem’!!

“Why were we singing only half of the national anthem?”, asked my 8 year old neighbor whom I had forced to watch the parades and PM’s address that morning on DoorDarshan.

Does that mean we have been singing only half of our national anthem for over last 6 decades???!!! Does that mean those generations that had amongst them, people who fought for our freedom and won and celebrated, did so only with half of our national anthem??? Does that mean WE- the so called shinning nation of the 21^st Century- amongst other things did not even get our National Anthem right? NO!, Of course not!

What we have been singing and know as our national anthem is indeed our ‘full’ national anthem adopted officially by the Constituent Assembly on the 24^th Of January, 1950. However it happens to be the first of five stanzas from a Brahmo poem that Ravindranath Tagore wrote in 1919. Thus although the original poem contains five stanzas, our national anthem is full and complete with the first stanza which we have been proudly and judiciously singing all these years from 27^th December’1911 when it was first sung in the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.

However on the strategic eve of the Independence Day an album has been released called Jaya Hey which has the "full poem" by Tagore.

If only our freedom would have imbibed responsibility in us our media know the difference between a "poem" and a "national anthem".

Should we shut down the Censor Board?

Makes sense doesn’t it? For what is the purpose of an institution whose say has no credibility? It goes about doing its work monotonously and even judiciously only to then look like a buffoon sitting on the sidelines and watching its mockery!

There are many cases that I can think of but lets take the case of the recently in storm, Prakash Jha’s “Aarakshan”. Censor board has seen the film with a group of people who were from all the sections of the society that the film represents or effects. All of them unanimously gave the film a U/A certificate, meaning the film can be watched even by under aged viewers. That should have been the end of the story had the Censor Board had any authority or standing.

What has happened is from various corners of the country, any round, dick and hairy politician is standing up and announcing a ban on the film. Without having seen the film, they have passed their verdict that the film is hurting sentiments of their people (read vote banks) and have ordered their followers (read hired goons) to burn posters and break offices of the film maker. The actors are issued threats and banned from entering states- all without seeing the film and for the people who are really not bothered.

Meanwhile, the film maker is running from court to lawyer, assuring distributors and hoping that people at least see his film first before passing a verdict on it.

What happens to the Censor Board at such times? They continue to watch more films- free and first- spending tax payer money on their job which seems to be completely ineffective and a farce.

Now tell me... Should the Censor Board be shut or not?