What came first? The chicken or the egg? The jury is still out on this.
A similar question has, of late, engaged the minds of the residents of the capital city. ‘What came first? The flag or the flagpole?” Nonsensical, right? Well that is what many who drive/walk by the Kanakakkunnu palace are saying these days.
Many months ago when a huge national flag used to flutter atop the mammoth flagpole in front of the palace it used to strike awe in the minds of the beholders. When the flag was illuminated at night it made for an even more compelling sight.
However, the flag had to be taken down every now and then because it got repeatedly damaged in strong winds. Now, it has been taken down for the nth time.
One of the aims of having a size-plus flag on top of a massive flagpole was—according to the flag foundation which erected the same—was a surge of patriotism in the viewers. However, the ‘anon you see it, anon you don’t’ state of the national flag isn’t inspiring patriotism in the residents of the capital city.
For the rock bands and independent artistes who have come up in recent years, the city has been a letdown in not having a proper concert venue. Their only platforms to perform have been the annual college festivals, which is usually organised at venues Nishagandhi or Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan. But whenever bands have come up with plans to organise small gigs with little money pooled in from amongst themselves, they have always ended up hitting a brick wall due to the absence of small venues. Another ‘homely’ venue has recently come up near the Golf Club. The city dwellers, whose option of hanging out is a toss up between a beach and a museum, could do with a few more such spaces opening up.
