Exciting day indeed… everybody wants to become a flag-seller and a kite seller a couple of days before the 15th of August every year.
Three reasons:
1. Sales of flags goes up
2. Kite-flying has become synonymous with this day
3. Buying a flag may seem patriotic but buying a charkhi a few kites is soooo exciting at any age
We decided to go towards NOIDA on 14 August just to see if these trends are alive still. And they were. The road to GIP (Great India Place) had fruit-sellers and other hawkers with an added inventory of flags and kites. Flags of all sizes… where does one put a 3 ft x 2 ft flag? Hoist it on one’s terrace? Maybe.
Even GIP had almost all shops/ outlets decorating their show-windows with the colours of the tricolour. The aisles had saffron, white, and green balloons. Couldn’t spot anyone with a tricolour dyed hairstyle… though was expecting some with this fervor.
And how can business outlets or shop-keepers resist from earning a few exxxtra bucks from this I-day zest? Schemes for buyers were plenty… there was FREE written almost everywhere… August onwards, Indian bazaars get really enticing!!
Arvind Passey
