Chennai: As the national flag flutters over the historic Fort St. George on Independence Day, the handloom weavers nurture a sense of pride and feel elated that the flag they made not only adorns the government offices but also invokes patriotic fervour among the people.
For over 40 years, the Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan has been ensuring a steady supply of the tricolour to the State Secretariat, State and central government offices.
The bulk of the flags, which are also sourced during the Republic Day function, are obtained from Maharashtra. “On an average, we supply over 2,000 Indian flags, every year for the government offices in the state. These are obtained from Maharashtra. Karnataka is the second state in India that also produces the national flags,” says V. Selvaraj, manager, Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan, the port, Ripon Building and other landmark structures fly the flags made by the weavers. The guidelines of the flag code of India and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) are adhered to before the final product is produced in nine sizes from the smallest one of 0.5x0.3 foot to the biggest measuring 21x14 feet. The flag hoisted from the Fort here conforms to 8 x 12 feet. Apart from the measurements, the thread and also the toggle are accurate.
Every year, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission comes up with a wide range of National Flags, which are made of hand spun and hand woven wool / cotton / silk khadi bunting. It was the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who had directed that the Indian National Flag should be only of Khadi and accordingly the tricolour is made out of Khadi.
Explore Flagstaff trail
If you are wondering where to go on the I-Day, then consider exploring the Flagstaff in the city. The flagstaff at the Fort St. George is one of the tallest in the country measuring 148 feet. Originally, it was made of teak wood and functioned from 1688 to 1994 and was replaced with steel. It was here that the national flag was hoisted for the first time on Aug. 15, 1947 and that flag is still preserved at the Fort St. George Museum.
The Flagstaff in front of the Sri Parthasarathy Swamy temple at Triplicane, erected on Independence Day in 1947 and the Dutch flagstaff at Santhome, are worth seeing.
