Flags sales at GPO Lucknow has exceeded 28,000 this year in just a few days, as per the Nodal Officer
To mark 75 years of Indian Independence, the government is aiming to have at least 20 crore flags atop houses from August 13 to 15. The wholesalers in the market share that the demand for flags has increased by 50 times.
‘People are buying flags of all sizes’
Priyanka Srivastava, the nodal officer in the General Post Office (GPO), Lucknow, says that the sales of the tricolour began at the GPO from August 1 and has been only increasing since then. “This year we have been appointed as one of the sales counters to sell the National Flag. There are two processes to sell the tricolor, one online and one offline. So far in offline, we have done home delivery of the triclour in more than 200 homes in the city. Whereas the number of people who are coming to buy the flag at GPO is more than 28,000.”
A women’s self-help group in the city has sold more than 10,000 flags in just a few days
Srivastava informs that sales of the National Flag at GPO alone is of more than `70,000. “On the first two days itself we sold more than 3000 flags and the number has gone up daily,” she adds.
Kalim, a flag seller in Mahanagar says, “Although every year I set up a flag shop, but this year people are showing more enthusiasm to buy the tricolor. This is the reason why the sale of tricolor this year is double as compared to the previous years. Earlier, we used to buy the flag from Yehiaganj but this time there has been so much demand that we have had to order more flags from Delhi also.”
(BCCL)
Manish Kumar, a flag seller in Charbagh says that there has been a massive increase in the demand for flags, including the ones that are large in size. “The government has removed a lot of restrictions and opened up things this year because of the 75th year celebrations. This year our sales have more than doubled. People have put up flags in their homes, offices, factories, shops, everywhere. This year the enthusiasm to display the flag is much more than previous years,” he says. Vibha, who works in a self-help group which is also making the National Flag this year says, “We often make things like spices, papads or bags, but this time we got the task of making the national flag. We are a group of 25 women who have been making the flags since last month and so far we have made and sold more than ten thousand flags.” This opportunity has helped provide employment to all these women and they can’t be more proud doing this work, says Vibha.
(BCCL)
‘Everyone from our building is going to be a part of the celebrations’
Meanwhile, Lucknowites are all geared up up to celebrate the 75th year of Indian Independence. While there are programmes planned in schools and colleges, residential societies are also gearing up for big celebrations. Says Shruti Ahuja, a resident of a housing society in Gomti Nagar extension, “We have always hoisted the flag in our building on I-Day, except during the pandemic years. But this year, it’s different. Practically, everyone from our building is going to be a part of the celebrations. We have planned a number of activities that will involve everyone. After all, we have completed 75 years of Independence.”
Vijay Gupta, an entrepreneur from Mahanagar, says, “We would always get a small flag every year, but this year, we decided to get a massive one, which we have placed in our balcony.”
— Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui
