Indian in wheelchair called Pakistani!

GUWAHATI, Oct 2: Arman Ali, the executive director of Shishu Sarothi, said on Monday that he was called a ‘Pakistani’ at a cinema hall in the city for failing to stand up during the tiol Anthem.

Ali, who has cerebral palsy and uses the wheelchair for mobility, told The Sentinel that it was a humiliating experience for him and such practice of casting slurs for such a reason could be linked to ‘pseudo tiolism’.

Ali had taken his nephew and nieces for a matinee show of ‘Lucknow Central’ last week. As others got up during the tiol Anthem, he straightened up as a mark of respect.  Towards the end, he heard a few men at the back say, ‘Saamne ek Pakistani baitha hai (A Pakistani is sitting in front)’. Ali did not take up the issue with the magement of the multiplex, nor does he plan to file a complaint. He, however, wants to initiate a dialogue on the issue. 

“The practice of playing tiol Anthem inside a cinema hall doesn’t make one patriotic, but such comments do make others feel vulnerable. I strongly feel that the practice of playing tiol Anthem in cinema halls needs to be done away with,” Ali said.