At 213 feet, the flag pole recently erected at the National Military Memorial on T Chowdaiah Road in Bangalore is arguably the tallest in India. The national tricolour will start fluttering on the pole from January 23. The flag — measuring 48 feet wide, 72 feet tall and weighing 31 kg — is reckoned to be the largest hoisted in India, according to a statement from the office of Rajeev Chandrashekar, member of Parliament and chairman of the National Military Memorial Committee.
“The beauty of this monumental flag is that it will not only be flying 24x7, but would also be illuminated and visible from a distance day and night,” said a source in the committee. Lights will illuminate the flag pole from the ground to the top.
The pole weighs around 12.5 tonnes. The flag will be hoisted with the support of an iron rope using a remote control. “The process of hoisting the flag to such a height will take about six minutes,” the source said. The flag and the mast have been donated by the Flag Foundation of India, New Delhi, an organisation engaged in promoting the spirit of nationalism and patriotism. The flag is stitched with knitted polyester fabric and is expected to withstand the vagaries of the weather. The cost of the entire project is around Rs. 40 lakh.
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The original Flag Code of India placed restrictions on the display of the national flag by private citizens, except on national days such as Independence Day and Republic Day. However, a legal battle by industrialist Naveen Jindal, who founded the Flag Foundation of India (FFI), ended with the Supreme Court declaring in 2004 that flying the national flag freely, with respect and dignity, is a fundamental right.
Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are expected to attend the flag hoisting ceremony scheduled for January 23 to mark the “historic” ruling.
According to FFI, the country has 11 monumental flag masts that are 206 feet tall, including one at Jindal Steel and Power Limited in Vijaynagar in Bellary district, Karnataka. These monumental flags are adequately illuminated. They are never lowered at sunset like the other flags.
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