Flags of our tailors

Today, on Independence Day, Rohan Salian will be riding his 1973 350 CC, Standard 500 Enfield from Powai to Belapur. He will be joined by 59 other bikers, and together, they’ll be creating a lot of noise. Similarly dressed in black t-shirts, blue jeans and denim jackets, they are part of Inddie Thumpers, a Bullet bike club.

And they are not just riding for fun. With gunny bags full of groceries tied to their bikes, they are taking food to Niketan Children’s Home, an orphanage for destitute kids. And some of the children will even get to go for a spin on their bikes.

Says Salian, “We always go for fun rides (once they rode from Mumbai to Leh), but on days like these, we like to make it fun for others too. It is our idea of celebrating Independence Day.” Last year on August 15, Inddie Thumpers held a bike rally from the Gateway of India to Bandra to promote safety while riding.

“We want to do away with the image of bikers being irresponsible on road, and also show that we care for others,” he adds.
While the bike club goes out for a ride, 55-year-old Abdul Gaffar Sheikh will be home with his family, watching the Independence Day parade on TV, keeping an eye out for his flags.

Affectionately known as Masterji, Sheikh is the only tailor with Kora Gramodyog Kendra (KGK) in Borivli. KGK is part of the Mumbai Khadi Gramodyog Sangh which, among other things, also makes khadi flags. KGK once had an outlet in Kalbadevi with two master tailors and 15 juniors. But declining sales have forced them to move out of Kalbadevi and manage with a single full-time tailor and three temporary ones.

For most, Independence Day starts on the morning of August 15. But for Sheikh, it begins from the first day of February. That’s the day he starts making flags for August 15. And this year, he has already made 20,000 national flags of various sizes. “It is a painstaking process,” says Sheikh. “The raw materials are brought from Karnataka, then sent for bleaching and dyeing to various mills and then stitched.” The largest flag — 14 feet by 21 feet — costs Rs10,000 and the smallest — 6 inches by 9 inches — Rs670.

And there are more like Sheikh. Parag Gandhi, one of the founding members of the Wall Project, helped paint the dirty, pan-stained walls of Mumbai into funky works of art last year. They successfully organised a campaign where Mumbaikars took up paint brushes and coloured the 2.4km long wall that stretches along Tulsi Pipe Road. Although the Wall Project is not active this Independence Day, they have been busy expanding their work to various cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad.

“People made last year’s campaign a terrific hit. They came out with paintbrushes, wanting to celebrate the day by making it more colourful, more meaningful,” says Gandhi. The campaign also helped the Wall Project. So much so that every day is Independence Day for them. “Now many offices and schools get us to help paint neglected and dirty offices and schools,” says Gandhi.

Another such group is a collection of cycling enthusiasts. Shammi Sethi, 41, has for the last two months been organising ‘Everyday Rides’ in Bandra. Starting off with just three people, today the Everyday Rides has at least 15 to 20 people on cycles riding for an hour around Bandra. Their aim is to make people aware of the cycling rally they are organising on August 15. More than 130 people have confirmed their attendance.

“We will cycle from Prabhadevi to Carter Road, with a message that more people should take up cycling as a mode of transport,” says Sethi. But why Independence Day? “It is a day when people will take notice. And people lead such sedentary lifestyles that cycling can help improve their health,” adds Sethi.