The sale of the Indian flag is all set to rise by 20 percent this year. More and more people are buying to indulge in the festivities of the occasion
Come August and a patriotic pride grips the nation. It's one colorful celebration where young and old take part with
equal zeal. And the tricolor becomes omnipresent. Flags waving on top of buildings, school kids purchasing plastic flags from local hawkers, teenagers sporting handkerchief-sized version of the same on their sleeves, everybody indulges in to celebrate the occasion.
More flags mean more business for the flag makers. With the government ruling in 2002, which allows flags to be put in schools, corporate offices and other private spaces along with government buildings, the sale of the Indian flag has gone up by 20 percent, says Karnataka Khadi Gramdoyog Samyuktha Sangha (KKGSS) secretary, S V Somanati. The KKGSS which is located in Hubli, manufactures and sells the flags for various institutions across the country. 
“Last year, sales were recorded to be 61 lakh, this year we are predicting it will go up to 75 lakhs,” says Somanati. They have already confirmed orders for 20 lakh flags and more orders are coming in everyday. The KKGSS supplies flags in nine different sizes, the smallest being four inches by six inches and the largest spanning across 14 feet by 21 feet.
Another private manufacturer from Mumbai, Dalvir Singh of The Flag Company, who is the official supplier of flags for the Common Wealth Games says they have recorded sales of a 1000 pieces everyday. In total they have already manufactured 1,00,000 flags for the occasion of Independence day.
Khadi Bhandars in Bangalore are ready for some brisk business in the coming week. “It's a seasonal market. Sales are high during Independence Day and the Republic Day. Even though flags do sell on other occasions like Gandhi Jayanthi, it doesn't count much,” says Purushottam, a dealer at a Khadi Bhandar store. He adds that every year at least 20 orders for flags sized 8 feet by 12 feet comes from the Vidhana Soudha (in Bangalore) to his shop. Schools and colleges across the city usually order for flags sized four feet by six feet. “The sales are going to be more or less the same. But it has never dipped.”
Depending on the location, Khadi Bhandars in the city sell around 200–400 flags every year. The prices range from `100 to `2800. However, few dealers are of the opinion that the sales will not go up over the years. “Out of an entire year, the flag business hardly goes on for a period of three months. Also, the flags made of khadi are durable and hence can be reused. There are also other factors like the weather, if it is bad during those days, sales are likely to dip,” says another dealer who gets his supply from Pune. Some also say they expect the sales to go up to 500–600 flags.
The manufacturers also raise a concern on how the flag is not respected properly. “Immediately after the occasion, you will see hundreds of them lying on the roads,” says Singh. “Distribution of plastic flags should be stopped as soon as possible. It is against the rules laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards,” adds Somanati.
Shradha Mohanty
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