KOLKATA: December-end is usually the time when revellers buy red-and-white Santa caps and scarves to sport at Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. But this year, a sudden spike in the demand for the national flag has had traders scrambling to stock the
Tricolour
.
Tricolour sales
usually peak a week before Republic Day, but this year that’s happened more than a month ahead of schedule, thanks to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (
CAA) and National Register of Citizens (
NRC).
Both kinds of protesters — for and against — are waving the national flag at rallies.
Rahul Gupta, who sells Tricolours at his shop on Old China Bazar Street, said people start buying from him usually ahead of Republic Day and Independence Day and before major sporting events — usually a match featuring the Indian cricket team. There’s never been such a demand in December since he started his business in 2001. “It’s a different December, one that we haven’t witnessed before. Youngsters have been turning up since mid-December to buy the flag,” he says.
Debashis Palodhy, another wholesaler of flags on Old China Bazar Street, is also witnessing an unexpected windfall. “Sale for Republic Day usually kicks off in the second week of January. But in the last week, we sold over 1,000 national flags of various sizes. We are getting individual customers as well as those from political parties,” he added.
The scene is no different at the other major flag hub on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Rabindranath Singh, a wholesaler, said sale of national flags had surpassed that of political party flags. “Suddenly, wearing one’s patriotism is the order of the day. It doesn’t matter if the march is for or against CAA and NPR. Everyone is waving the national flag. Business has been brisk,” he said.
Sociologist and Presidency University professor emeritus Prasanta Roy says those in favour of CAA are carrying the national flag to show that those opposed to the party in power and the government also care for the nation and are committed to it. “By doing so, they are pre-empting BJP from playing the national card and branding protesters as anti-nationals,” he reasoned.
He also believes that the national flag is also helping political parties, now united in opposition against both BJP and CAA, hide their political differences and identities and unite under the banner of the Tricolour. Whatever be the reason, for the likes of Ashok Singh, a dealer in flags, it has been unprecedented business at this time of the year. “Through the week, we sold around 2,000 Indian flags with all of them being purchased by demonstrators and rally-goers,” he said.