More and more people are buying national flags as India celebrates the 60th anniversary of independence on Wednesday.
NEW DELHI: More and more people are buying national flags as India celebrates the 60th anniversary of independence on Wednesday. The capital has recorded tricolour sales worth Rs.5 million in the past 12 months.
"The demand for flags are there round the year but it increases ahead of Aug 15 (Independence Day) and Jan 26 (Republic Day). Within the last one year, we have sold tricolours worth Rs.50 lakhs (Rs.5 million)," said DC Bhatti, assistant director of the Delhi unit of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
KVIC is the authorised agency to produce and sell national flags, made of khadi or hand-spun cotton, for official purposes.
"Though the number of flags sold every year cannot be said with certainty, over 40 percent of them are small flags (2X3 feet). I think there is an increase of around 20 percent in the flag sales," Bhatti said.
Eric Minz, the branch manager of the Khadi and Gramodyog Bhavan centre in R.K. Puram, said that his shop every year sells around 750 flags of three different sizes - small (2x3 feet), medium (3X4 feet) and large (4.5X6 feet).
"We sell around 400 small flags, 250 medium flags and nearly 100 large national flags every year," he said.
"A small flag costs Rs.265, medium Rs.585 and large flags cost Rs.685. Schools, government offices and defence establishments are our main customers," he added.
Common people too are queuing up for tricolours - thanks to a wave of popular movies, official celebrations and media reports on the 60th anniversary of independence.
"A national flag is a symbol of our independence. I unfurl a cloth flag every Aug 15 and Jan 26. Besides, we sport it round the clock atop our TV set at home," said Santosh Tiwari, a professional.
The growing popularity of the tricolour can be judged from the sales of tiny plastic flags by street children.
"Around Jan 26, I sold around 100 flags but in the last five days, I have sold over 140. I hope to sell around 50 more flags in the next two days," said 11-year-old Darpan, as he ran from one traffic junction to another near a popular market in southwest Delhi.
"I get most of my customers between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 5 and 7 in the evening," he said. "I am selling flags for Rs.3 a piece."
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