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Veteran actor Annu Kapoor welcomed the Union Home Ministry's directive mandating the singing of all six verses of Vande Mataram before the national anthem, terming it a "wonderful decision".
In an interview with ANI, Annu Kapoor said that he has been promoting 'Vande Mataram' for over 32 years and takes pride in how widely it is discussed now. "It's a very good decision. It's a very good, wonderful, wonderful decision. It has been taken recently but Annu Kapoor has been saying Vande Mataram for 32 years now. It's a good thing. If you meet a person from America, from the East Coast, New Jersey, New York, LA, California, or Houston and if you hear the word Vande mataram from their mouths, then assume that they have this disease from Annu Kapoor," said Annu Kapoor. "So, it's a very good thing and it is the eternal creation of Pandit Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, which is our national anthem. Vandematram. No one should object to this. Vande Mataram," added Annu Kapoor. The actor also described the ancient Sanskrit literature including the Vedas, Upanishads, Aranyakas, Ramayana and Mahabharata as a "prayer" of the Hindu people, which is embedded with peace and non-violence. "Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in the world. In Sanskrit, wonderful literature has been written and is the prayer in Sanskrit and if people think this prayer is of a Hindu, then what is the problem? Can't a Hindu pray? And if a Hindu prays, then he will not only talk about his own welfare, he will talk about the welfare of the whole world. The violence that has spread all over the world, if ever, by mistake, a wave of peace, a breeze of peace comes, then the fragrance of that breeze will come only from the land of India," said Annu Kapoor. The 'Utsav' actor claimed that the alleged Hindu-Muslim divisions in India are allegedly driven by politics, saying that Hindus need unity and strong leadership to turn India into a Hindu nation. When asked about the increasing division between Hindu and Muslim in India, Annu Kapoor said, "This is politics. It is very important for Hindus to stay united. When there is unity, only then will we be able to face the enemy. People should forget about religion, caste, and sect." On the work front, Kapoor also spoke about his new theatrical venture. Titled 'Triple A', the play stands for "Art, Artists, and Audience." The play has been written with the support of his creative associates Arunima Misra, Devendra Balsaraf and Sufi Khan. Auditions are currently underway, with two sessions already completed. Known for films such as 'Mandi', 'Mr. India', 'Tezaab', 'Ram Lakhan', 'Ghayal', 'Hum', 'Darr', 'Sardar', 'Aitraaz' and '7 Khoon Maaf', Kapoor has also hosted the popular television show 'Antakshari' and currently presents the radio programme 'Suhaana Safar With Annu Kapoor.' He was recently seen in 'The Signature.' The actor has turned 70 years old today. (ANI)
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