It’s another I-Day and one man will take special pride when the Tricolour flutters majestically at several places across the country. For, Harendrasinh Dayma has spent nearly four decades teaching people the correct way to hoist the national flag.
Dayma has taught the protocol of hoisting the flag to more than three lakh people across India. Manager of the Sardar Bhavan Trust in Vadodara, Dayma teaches students and others the correct pronunciations in Jana Gana Mana, Vande Mataram and other patriotic songs.
Dayma, who started providing training in 1974 in the protocol to be observed while hoisting the national flag, does not charge anything for his services. “There are protocols associated with unfurling the national flag. The Tricolour should not be hoisted after the sun sets, it should always be done at sunrise. The flag colours should also be taken into consideration with orange at the top, followed by white, and, finally, green. The national song and anthem also should be sung in the right way,” he says.
The patriot rues the casual attitude of youth today, saying their pronunciation of Sanskrit and Hindi words is often incorrect. However, he says teachers are to blame. “Teachers should make extra efforts to ensure students get their diction right,” he says.
“The youth do not understand the struggle of our freedom fighters, nor do they know the great writers who wrote the National Song and National Anthem,” says Dayma.
The Flag Code of India has clearly laid down guidelines for hoisting and handling of the Tricolour. Not everyone knows that wrong hoisting of the flag is punishable. Also, hoisting a flag upside down can lead to three years of jail. Besides, there are several other rules to be followed.
