The singing of the national anthem by the people at Shaheen Bagh or outside Jamia took no one by surprise. As the clock struck 12, those gathered there broke into the national anthem. The presence of national symbols and icons is simultaneously marked by an absence of religious and sectarian symbols, even though the issue directly affects the Muslim community. National symbols — the tricolour, the preamble and the national anthem — are situated at the confluence of these ideas, and the young have started their march towards reclaiming the idea of India by reclaiming the national symbols of India. Reclaiming national symbols, while bringing life to an abstract idea like the Constitution, is an act of political genius and imagination.

Source: Indian Express January 23, 2020 19:30 UTC