The Jindals did it first

At the whitewashed Jindal Mansion at Pedder Road the Tiranga shines like a superstar especially on the rare occasion where Indian patriotism is being celebrated Like last year in July when weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won the silver at the Tokyo Summer Olympics Tomorrow when Independent India turns 75 a similar spectacle will be on display And at the centre of it all will be the iconic India flag hoisted from the third floor of the mansion flying high since 2004The Jindals in a way have been frontrunners in instilling patriotic fervour Long before Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav encouraging every household to hoist the flag industrialist and former Parliamentarian Naveen Jindal had set the wheels in motion to bring the Tiranga homeNaveen won a decadelong legal battle when the Supreme Court of India delivered the historic judgement on January 23 2004 three days before Republic Day enabling all Indians to display the National Flag with ldquorespect dignity and honourrdquo ldquoSoon after the judgementmdashin fact the very same yearmdashmy elder brother Sajjan Jindal and bhabhi Sangita Jindal took the initiative to hoist the flag at Jindal Mansionrdquo says Naveen whose concerted efforts also led the home ministry in 2009 to allow Indians to fly the flag in the night provided the ldquoflagpole is really tall and the flag itself wellilluminatedrdquoToday the India flag has a pride of place at the mansion which houses several offices of the Jindals the JSW Centre in BKC as well as the three offices of Jindal Steel and Power Limited in DelhiNCRBut both Sajjan and Naveen admit that hoisting the Tiranga comes with great responsibilityNaveenrsquos own motivation to make the flag accessible to all began in 1990 when he was a student in the United States of America ldquoI was studying at The University of Texas in Dallas and I remember all the students displaying the American flag I wanted to do the same as an Indianrdquo recalls Naveen over a video call A few days later an American friend gifted him a large Indian flag and he says ldquoit was the first time I ever held the national flag in my hand and that too in America I cannot even begin to express how happy that made merdquo Later as president of the Student Government he was given an office where he was allowed to display the India flag ldquoAfter I returned to India I remember this one time on January 26 1993 when we decided to hoist the flags at our steel plants in Chhattisgarh then part of Madhya Pradesh The following day it was brought down and I was told that the protocol meant that I could only fly the flag on Republic Day and August 15 That to me was strange I decided to continue to display the flagrdquo says Naveen who is currently chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited ldquoBut a yearandahalf later when senior police officials happened to visit one of the sites they immediately asked it to be removedrdquo he shares adding that itrsquos what compelled him to eventually knock the doors of the court in 1994 Sajjan JindalClose on heels of the SCrsquos judgement Naveen along with wife Shallu Jindal started the Flag Foundation of India FFOI a nonprofit body with a vision to popularise the display of the Tiranga by every Indian It has helped setup nearly 100 monumental flags across India maintaining the upkeep of around 15 to 20 of them including the one installed at Central Park Connaught Place New Delhi shares Naveen president of the foundationMaj Gen Ashim Kohli CEO of the FFOI who is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the upkeep of ldquomonumental flagsrdquomdasha tall flag that is visible by a larger population of peoplemdashsays everything depends on where a flag is located ldquoIf the flag is hoisted in an area where there are high winds there is a chance of it tearing And that means you have to change the flag very frequently Bringing the flag down or pulling it up also requires a lot of strength and thatrsquos usually because of the wind Which is why we use a high power motor its horse power depends on the height and the weight of the flagrdquo he explains Another thing to keep in mind is that the flag should be placed at a location that is well lighted ldquoso that in case of any damage or tear the team learns of it at the earliest because you canrsquot be flying a damaged flagrdquo he saysNaveen Jindalrsquos unrelenting legal and political campaign led to a revision of the Flag Code of India which now grants every private citizen the right to fly the Indian National FlagThe size of the National Flag hoisted at the Jindal Mansion is 7 x 6 feet Hoisted from the third floor of the premises it rises 11 feet The one at JSW Centre is 30 x 20 feet and rises 105 feet from the ground level Both the flags are made of knitted silkpolyester fabricAt any given point a team of five people is dedicated towards the upkeep of the national flags in compliance with the Flag Code of India Every three months these flags are changedSajjan chairman of JSW Group who credits his brother Naveen for his efforts to make the flying of Tiranga possible told midday in an email interview that the JSW Group ldquohas been hoisting the flag at all JSW Group offices factories and commercial establishments ever since the Flag Code was amended in 2004rdquo ldquoPreviously the national flag at Jindal Mansion would be hoisted every morning and pulled down at dayrsquos end In 201617 we installed a slanting style flag at Jindal Mansion This is hoisted 24 hours a day with sufficient illumination during the night We follow the Flag Code in maintaining the national flags hoisted across our offices and factoriesrdquo Sajjan feels that hoisting the flag ldquoimbibes national pride and evokes deep patriotic sentimentsrdquo within all his employees and visitors ldquoPersonally I feel deep pride to see the national flag flying It represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of lndia and our goal to be a significant partner in building a stronger nationrdquo7x6Size of the India flag in feet hoisted at Peddar Road located Jindal Mansion