These days our patriotism is restricted only to sharing
the image of the National Flag either in Facebook or Whatsapp. Most of us share
it only on two schedule dates, either on Republic Day or Independence Day. The
new breed of youngsters seldom read the history books to learn how our great Oriya
hero’s sacrificed their lives to free India from the clutches of British raj. Seldom
you might have ever heard the names of Oriya martyrs be it Madho Singh Bariha,
Rindo Majhi, Jai Rajguru or be it Lakshmana Naik. But for many of us our
national flag Tiranga is not just a piece of cloth, we adore it a lot by heart.
When the National Anthem is telecasted in televisions, with a sense of
admiration most of us stand on the floor. We have inculcated such values from
the primary school, where we have been taught the basic alphabets of our own
vernacular.
Now the present generation of kids has got ample
stationery to play with. They spend enormous money to buy the colorful stickers,
glowing tattoos, panoramic post cards and all the garbage. Whereas during the
late 70’s of the last Century, I was virtually brought up in a black and white
era. Indian economy was in the doldrums. Only on the week days I was getting 10
Paise as the pocket tips while going to school. That money was not enough
either to buy an eraser, a pencil or to fill the ink in the fountain pen at the
book store.
Since childhood I was fascinated by our National Flag “Tiranga”
merely because of its tri color and for a blue wheel at the centre of it. One
evening I was walking along with my mother to the market. On the way at a
junction of the town there was a gathering of people. They were shouting as “जिंदाबाद जिंदाबाद” which means, hip hip hurray.
I left the hand of my mother and stood there while saluting towards the
gathering. My mother looked backward and asked “What this ridiculous thing you
are doing ?”. I pointed my little finger towards a tricolor flag. She laughed
at me saying “You stupid, every tricolor is not a Tiranga. Look there is a palm
of a hand at the centre. And it’s not our Tiranga, rather the flag of the
Indian National Congress (INC) party”. She said a tri color flag with a wheel
at the centre is only our National Flag. I scratch my head and followed my
mother. She is the first teacher in my life, who has invoked patriotism in me.
While I was attending the primary school at Khalikote,
the Physical Education teacher was endowed with the responsibility to hang the
National Flag either on 15th August or 26th January. A day
before these two schedule dates he would collect the National Flag from the
wooden cupboard of the Head Master’s office. Religiously he would undertake the
job of washing it with a detergent cake and dripping it in the indigo blue so
as the white portion of the flag would glow. Hours before the flag hoisting the
PT teacher would stuff the flag with the petals of roses and a short of non-fragrance tropical white flowers called Tabernaemontana
divaricata and a dozen chocolates.
On the eve of the celebrations we the students use to stand straight in a row. When the flag hoisted we would sing the National Anthem “Janagana mana adhinayaka jaya he, Bharata bhagya bidhata…………” while placing the right hand on the forehead by saluting. While singing the National Anthem the kids on the front row would use to look at the base of the iron pillar instead of looking at the National Flag. Why? Because along with the petals of the flowers, the flag has been stuffed with one or two dozen pieces of 5 Paise Parle’s orange candies and they as well use to drop on the ground. When the singing of the National Anthem would end with the last stanza “jaya he, jaya he, jaya he……jaya, jaya, jaya, jaya he” we all the kids would break the Code of Conduct and run towards the flag post to collect the orange candies that fell on the ground along with the flowers. My batch mate Motu use to grab a couple of candies as he was a hefty boy and use to overpower others.
On the eve of the celebrations we the students use to stand straight in a row. When the flag hoisted we would sing the National Anthem “Janagana mana adhinayaka jaya he, Bharata bhagya bidhata…………” while placing the right hand on the forehead by saluting. While singing the National Anthem the kids on the front row would use to look at the base of the iron pillar instead of looking at the National Flag. Why? Because along with the petals of the flowers, the flag has been stuffed with one or two dozen pieces of 5 Paise Parle’s orange candies and they as well use to drop on the ground. When the singing of the National Anthem would end with the last stanza “jaya he, jaya he, jaya he……jaya, jaya, jaya, jaya he” we all the kids would break the Code of Conduct and run towards the flag post to collect the orange candies that fell on the ground along with the flowers. My batch mate Motu use to grab a couple of candies as he was a hefty boy and use to overpower others.
I recalls yet another event of my childhood associated
with the National Flag of India. It was during the early eighties of the last
Century. Than I was a student of Class Five in a Oriya primary school at village
Khalikote of Ganjam district of Odisha, India. This school was set up in the
premises of royal palace of Khalikote. On this palace apart from the primary
school, there exists a fine art college as well. Once somehow I accessed a paper
Tiranga. With care I kept that in the school notebook. Next day I carried it to
school and proudly showed my possession to my classmates. But Chaitu the hooligan
boy of our class grabbed the flag from my hands. I caught hold of his shirt, so
as he should not escape with my property. But in a retaliation he caught my
hair on the head. He pulled my hair and I was in acute pain. I left his shirt
and caught hold of his hair as well and grabbed it. We both were wrestling on
the floor of the classroom holding the head of each other. While watching us
the rest of the classmates were clapping and shouting as if they were watching
a wrestling bout. In the meanwhile I got a bash on my buttocks. I was shocked and
turned back to look. It was the Head Master of our school. He was standing
there holding a stick in his hands, with a pair of red bull’s eyes. My half
niker was wet as I urinated with fear. All the batch mates laughed at me. The
head master turned his eyes around. All the class mates went to their
respective place to occupy their space on the floor. The head master asked Chaitu
to show what he is holding in the hand. Chaitu handed over the National Flag to
him. He inspected the flag, it was tattered at the centre. The Head Master advised,
you both are excused because you are fighting for our National Flag. But
remember two sons of a mother should never fight in between themselves. After
thirty five years now I realize how being Indians we are fighting in between ourselves,
further to divide our existing States and Union Territories. Of course all these
things are being invoked by the ever greedy political clouts to cheat the
gullible civilians.
WhatsApp# +918249314972
E KIRAN MOHAN(The Writer)
C\o. Dr.E.R.Rao(MD)
Main Road, Barpali-768029
Dist-Bargarh, Odisha, India
Main Road, Barpali-768029
Dist-Bargarh, Odisha, India
AMzing Story
ReplyDeleteI lopved it Sir.....
Thank you.....
Bachpan yaad aagaya yaar...hats off to the writter for sharing such beautiful childhood memories
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the best write ups I've ever read . Beautifully penned down .
ReplyDeleteGood moral.
ReplyDeleteNice story. Brings alive childhood memories about independence day celebrations.
ReplyDeleteOur kids of this hitech generation are engrossed with gadgets only and miss this real enjoy and feeling of patriotism.
ReplyDeleteNicely presented.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has a childhood story I read to your childhood story today . Nowadays triranga flag having a garbage as you said above . To show to others people only hoisting flag .
ReplyDeleteGr8 story
ReplyDeleteWooow sir it was a great write
ReplyDeleteSpecially the last part of narration is much attractive
Which describes the reality of the political world
Which they traces us and try to divide us
Thanks 🙏🏻 sir for this beautiful story
A good description regarding the Indepedence day
ReplyDeleteJay Hind
An exciting and an inspirational writing in a lucid style. Really you are a efficient blogger of national reputation.
ReplyDeleteAmazing story sir
ReplyDelete