At last I had hoisted,

Happy Independence Day!

I didn’t have an opportunity to hoist a flag in my lifetime. Since my school days, I always identified hoisting a flag, like any other children, as an event, which can be done only by Elders, bald headed people, persons who can talk at length on something when no one would listen. And in particular that day or the next day will be a Holiday.

During my high school days in Raja Higher Sec School, the hoisting of flag was done during the assembly session (I mean prayer, nothing to do with MLA Assembly) once in a week. I used to relate that with our home weekly once ritual of offering prayers to god on every Friday. Since we were standing behind all our (taller) senior groups, most of the time we would not know who hoisted the flag, we could only see the flag going up, spread and showering some pieces of color papers. Back at our classrooms, my friends will share the information on who hoisted the flag on that day and would also explain how they found this out. If that person happened to be our Class Teacher, we will look at him proudly when he enters the class. The teacher also will note the difference from the way we shout at our top of voice “ Good Morning Sir “

During my High Sec days in Calve College Govt. Higher Sec School, I have never seen that event during the assembly. May be I was sitting in the Chettiar Kadai in Aurobindo Street at (that) times. But the flag will look very new and bright every day after Independence Day and Republic Days.

During my days in Tagore Arts College, I didn’t know where the Flagpole was located until one or two years. Probably due to a bigger campus or it was located at the main entrance, which we had never used. But twice a year, we saluted the Flag during our NCC Parade in Indira Gandhi Stadium. When we salute, in the opposite will be Chief Minister of that Period, in fact I should say we salute each other. During Republic Day the opposite person will be Governor. No matter how ugly they look in Characters and Public Profile, when we salute after hearing the command “dyne Thekh” from our platoon leader we experience a kind of delightment in us. All our hard work and sacrifice during the Parade training will forget.

Let me cut the crap, today on Independence day, I had an opportunity to hoist. Ever since our team moved to this room in the 19th floor, which gives a view of Singapore Skyline when we open the shutter screen of the big Glass windows, I have been hoisting to pull the screen strings to expand and close.

But today when I did, it is something special, as it happened to be our Indian Independence Day. At last I had hoisted, on Independence Day..