How To Dispose Of The Indian National Flag Respectfully
Every year I see this happen. And it breaks my heart. Torn flags. Flags on the ground. Trampled upon. Piled up in the trash. I see this especially around schools. This has been my experience in my own school as well.
And it gets overwhelming to see the scale of it too. What do you do about it? What do you do with all these flags? You can collect them, but then what? Who do you hand them over to?
The Indian National Holidays of Republic Day & Independence Day are celebrated with an amazing level of enthusiasm. Flag sales are off the charts. You see everyone sporting mini-flag badges and stickers (thats something new I’ve seen this year).
How To Dispose Of The Indian National Flag Respectfully
Guideline for Disposal of damaged Flag : When the Flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it shall be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the Flag. – Flag Code of India 2002, Section II, Point 2.2 (xiii)
Generally the way to dispose of the flag is either by burning it or burying it.
If you’re going to bury it, then you should make sure that no person walks on the place. This is easier said than done in a country as populated as India, especially in the metros.
So we move on to the other method, that of burning, as counterintuitive as it sounds.
When the Flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it shall be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the Flag
What this means is that when burning the damaged flag off, please make sure you burn it by itself. That means no throwing it in with other burning trash, or chucking it in an incinerator. And while doing so, please maintain proper respect and decorum. Your volition means a lot in this case. 🙂
Thats about it. Hope i was able to get the message across without coming across as too self-righteous. If I did, it is entirely my fault.
Jai Hind!
PS: I’ve attached a PDF of the Flag Code of India 2002 to the post for those who want to see the source of these guidelines for themselves.
Please, if you like this post, share it with your friends & followers on social media. I’m sure it’ll resonate with you too. No one likes to see the Indian National Flag being disrespected, and no one I’ve met does it deliberately.
