Guiding Light: Healthy pride & spirituality

As we watched the Republic Day celebrations — the tableau and demonstrations — we felt a surge of patriotism when the flag was unfurled. Today, I will share something which aids a healthy pride in who we are and why we do things the way we do that is included in spirituality. Only people connected with the defence services know the truth. The flag is hoisted on Independence Day and unfurled on Republic Day. Most people would ask, what is the difference? On Independence Day, the flag is tied at the bottom of the pole and then hoisted up to the top of the pole and it flies. This is the hoisting of the flag to represent the upward struggle our freedom fighters had, in getting us independence. This hoisting represents our freedom fighters' struggles.

Republic Day is the day when we adopted the Constitution and became a Republic — an independent nation with its own constitution. So, on that day the struggles of independence are behind us. We are a free nation. Therefore, the flag is tied to the top of the pole and unfurled to let oneself free and fly in the breeze. This is a major difference between how we hoist the flag on Independence Day and unfurl it on Republic Day. This may be a small thing, but it indicates a wonderful attitude behind it.

The act of hoisting is a homage to all the freedom fighters of the past and unfurling it on Republic Day is our hope for the future. I guess all the patriotic Indians who know this, feel it in their hearts on every Independence Day and Republic Day. One cannot forget that even though India is a new republic it has been an old nation since the Vedic times, called Bharatvarsha. It is the past that flows into the present to make up the future. No country can be an independent nation by discarding its past and its heritage.

(The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com)