are youAmesh Chandra reaches for a strip of saffron khadi, carefully aligns it against the needle of his sewing machine, and stitches another Indian flag. She has lost count of how many stitches she has stitched in that day, week or month but it doesn’t matter. He has got an important legacy to maintain.
From being the ‘Sports City of India’ to the thriving electronics industry, Meerut has a lot of claims to fame. But the city’s association with the national flag of India is underestimated. independent India’s first tricolor The hoist on the Red Fort came from Gandhi Ashram in Meerut and was stitched by Chandra’s father.
This year’s 75th Independence Day is being celebrated with ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ – an initiative by the Narendra Modi government to hoist the national flag in their homes. But here in Meerut, Ramesh’s family is sewing 20 khadi flags the day before midnight on 15 August 1947, symbolizing India’s “striving with luck”.
Chandra said he is working towards celebrating the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, which has led to bulk orders for the flags. “I lack khadi to sew,” he said.
A photograph of BR Ambedkar occupies their family’s only bedroom of pride, while a framed photograph of Ramesh’s father – the original flag-stitcher – adorns their work room.
“It is a matter of pride for us that we are sewing Indian flags,” Chandra said. “It feels really good to know that we too are doing something for the country. This is a historical thing. I am proud that we are considered qualified to do so.”
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first flag hoisting
Chandra has been sewing Khadi Indian flags for 42 years. He started working with his father Natthe Singh at the age of 12. The family has a contract to sew Khadi flags from the nearby Gandhi Ashram.
Referring to his father’s heyday that spanned the 1950s and 1960s, Chandra said, “This is the first time since my father’s era that there has been such a high demand for Indian flags.”
“After my father’s death, I now contract,” said Chandra, “I do nothing but sew flags—that’s my only job. Not having a worker makes his job difficult, especially since he is working to fulfill orders asking for over a million flags. “It is not possible for one person to sew so much.”
Chandra and his family live on the third floor of their family home. His workroom is filled with bunches of tricolor khadi. A stairway runs through their brothers’ homes on the bottom two floors – one selling ‘poly’ (polyester) flags on the main street outside, while the other runs a juice shop next door. But only Chandra is carrying forward his father’s legacy.
Natthe Singh, who died in 2019 at the age of 94, worked through the night on 13 August 1947, burning the midnight oil, according to his son. The flag was then wrapped in mulmul and covered with flower petals, packed in a new box made of fresh wood, and carried by freedom fighters from Meerut to New Delhi.
Then a new flag was hoisted on the Red Fort, which was a symbol of a new India.
“everyone knows about it” tricolor,” said Chandra. “But not everyone knows who did the first stitch.”
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Khadi Vs ‘Pali’ Flags
The workers at the Gandhi Ashram, just two kilometers from Chandra’s home, are not so sure of Chandra’s coveted legacy.
We have heard this story too. But to be honest, we do not have any documentary evidence that this happened,” said Prithvi Singh Rawat, who heads the ashram. He agrees that it is highly likely that the flag was sent from Meerut – given its proximity to New Delhi – but cautions when it comes to verifying Chandra’s legacy.
However, the story has spread throughout the city like a folktale.
“We have heard this story! If it is true, we are proud that the first flag went from Meerut,” said a customer who had come to the ashram to buy a khadi kurta. Another customer said that while he was unaware of the story We are glad that Meerut played a role in such a historic moment.
Gandhi Ashram has been selling flags for India since independence movement started and even before present tricolor was adopted in July 1947. Today, the dilapidated but royal red building houses a stock of khadi goods sold to locals from a shop that opens to the noisy of a main street in Meerut.
Until recently, the Indian flag was to be made from khadi, and the authority to manufacture the flag was with the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission. The commission allocated work to regional groups such as the Gandhi Ashram, which later contracted workers such as Chandra. However, the influx of cheap and disposable flags made from polyester and other such synthetic fabrics has flooded the market.
Chandra said that earlier flags were made from Khadi only and hoisted at state offices. The Flag Code of India, introduced in 2002, allowed private citizens to display the flag – so plastic flags became a popular alternative.
Teluram, who retired after 40 years of working at the Gandhi Ashram since 1982, says he has been seeing a constant demand for khadi flags, sometimes so much that he is unable to fulfill it.
“Poly flags are more common these days,” he said, adding, “There is still a huge demand for genuine, authentic Khadi flags, but people go for poly and plastic because it is cheaper.” They say that Khadi is naturally the most suitable fabric for the flag because of its durability and its connection to the national movement.
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Another major claim of Hastinapur
In Hastinapur, outside Meerut, lives a family with another connection to the Indian flag: this time, from colonial India.
Guru Nagar’s grandfather, Major General Ram Nagar, was the top-ranking commander in Meerut in November 1946. He is believed to have been in charge of arrangements at another historical event: the last session of the Indian National Congress before India’s independence.
“This flag is not just a part of our family history, it is part of national history,” Nagar said. “My grandparents took care of it, my father took care of it, and now it is our turn. We are very proud.”
In this historic final session held in Meerut, 9×14 feet Khadi Tricolor was unfurled with a full spinning wheel at the centre. After the flag hoisting, Jawaharlal Nehru presented the flag to keep Nagar’s family safe.
Nagar’s family has been doing just that for three generations and plans to continue protecting their national treasure. The flag is in almost pristine condition and is kept carefully sealed in layers of cloth and plastic. It is regularly exposed to sunlight to keep it from getting damp. It is currently in Dehradun with Nagar’s twin brother, who is exploring various ways to save the clothes from rotting.
Nagar’s wife Anju said, “We have taken care of this flag like we have taken care of our son.” “And when he gets married, I will make sure that our daughter-in-law gets the same amount of love and respect for him.”
The November 1946 session was the last session the Congress held before India became independent. Acharya Kriplani was the president, and the session was attended by Congress members such as Sarojini Naidu, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Shahnawaz Khan of the INA. The flag still bears the signature of Shahnawaz Khan, who was later elected to the Lok Sabha from Meerut several times.
(Edited by Srinjoy Dey)