Wading
into
the
ongoing
debate
over
playing
the
national
anthem
in
public
places,
singer
Sonu
Nigam
today
said
while
he
honoured
every
country's
anthem,
he
also
believed
theatres
and
restaurants
were
not
the
place
for
it.
Sonu
said
the
national
anthem
of
any
country
should
be
respected
and
be
given
the
same
honour
that
people
bestow
on
their
own
anthem.
"If
the
national
anthem
of
Pakistan
is
played
and
all
Pakistanis
are
standing,
I
will
also
stand
out
of
respect
for
that
country
and
those
people," he
said.
"There
are
some
people
who
are
saying
the
national
anthem
should
be
there
(in
cinema
halls),
some
say
it
should
not
be
there.
The
national
anthem
is
a
prestigious
and
sensitive
thing
and
I
think
it
should
not
be
played
in
certain
places--
in
movie
theatres
or
restaurants,"
he
said.
On
Monday,
the
Supreme
court
directed
the
Centre
to
decide
on
the
playing
of
the
anthem
in
public
places,
including
cinema
halls.
The
singer,
who
has
often
walked
into
controversies,
drew
a
parallel
between
the
anthem
and
one's
parents.
"I
respect
my
parents
and
if
I
know
they
will
not
be
respected
at
certain
places,
why
should
I
take
them
there?
I
want
them
to
be
respected
when
they
go
out.
Similarly,
the
national
anthem
should
not
be
played
at
places
where
it
will
not
be
respected,"
Sonu
said
on
the
sidelines
of
an
event.
The
playback
singer,
however,
said
if
the
national
anthem
is
played
in
theatres,
there
should
be
"no
ego"
in
standing
up.
"If
it
is
played
then
we
should
stand
up,
there
should
be
no
ego
in
that.
If
I
am
a
good
and
understanding
person
I
will
stand
up
for
the
national
anthem
of
any
country.
He
stressed
that
he
would
stand
up
for
the
anthem
of
Pakistan
or
of
any
country.
"Even
if
the
national
anthem
of
US
is
played
I
will
stand
up.
If
it
is
played
then
why
I
should
disrespect
it?
I
am
not
a
leftist
or
rightist
I
am
in
the
middle,"
he
said.
Sonu
had
found
himself
in
the
eye
of
a
Twitter
storm
earlier
this
year,
for
his
comments
against
the
use
of
loudspeakers
in
religious
places.
He
had
expressed
his
annoyance
over
being
woken
up
by
azaan
every
morning.
The
singer
today
said
his
tweet
was
just
not
about
'azaan',
but
temples,
too,
as
he
was
against
the
use
of
amplifiers
in
shrines.
"I
am
an
atheist.
I
worship
everyone
as
I
see
God
in
everyone.
I
am
not
a
fanatic,
I
do
not
belong
to
any
religion.
Suddenly,
I
saw
some
people,
who
know
me
since
quite
some
time
not
standing
by
me.
"But
at
the
same
time,
I
got
a
lot
of
support.
Lot
of
people
tell
me
I
raised
the
issue
in
a
good
way,
without
abusing
anyone."
The
singer,
who
quit
Twitter
after
the
controversy,
said
he
is
not
even
on
WhatsApp
since
celebrities
easily
land
in
trouble
for
their
comments,
while
others
are
allowed
to
use
abusive
language
on
the
social
media.