Delhiwale: First among equals

Delhi's monumental tricolor flag at Connaught Place, larger than a badminton court, captivates citizens and symbolizes national pride amidst the bustling city.

Pitch blue sky, so blue that you could raise your finger and risk getting it stained with this bluest of rare blue.

The F block in Connaught Place. (HT Photo)

And there it is!

The tiranga.

Atop a tall pole, the national flag is billowing smoothly, inscribing its familiar form in the high altitude Delhi air. The orange, white and green stripes are infusing the atmosphere with a feel of… something that feels larger than ourselves.

The monumental flag at Connaught Place is truly a monument. Installed at Central Park in 2014, it is said to be larger than the size of a badminton court. It inevitably sparked off an enthusiasm to hoist larger-than-life flags at prominent places in the capital. Within a decade, Delhi was crisscrossed with 500 super-tall flag posts. (A panoramic view of the flags can be seen from the so-called Mutiny Tower in north Delhi).

For a time however, the flag at CP was the only one of its kind in entire India, and was first mounted on the spot by the organisation Flag Foundation of India and New Delhi Municipal Council. To be sure, the many flags that have lately came up across the megapolis are also grand, but the stature of CP’s flag remains unaffected. On strolling along the Inner Circle arcade, the flag shows up in equal intensity from very many differing perspectives, consecrating almost every point of view in the shopping district, dominating every landmark, including the multi-storied Statesman House and Gopal Das Bhawan (and also the massive Jeevan Bharti LIC Building). The flag also crowns each one of CP’s living landmarks, including chai hawker Rehaan whose red tea thermos matches the red of his dyed hair.

Indeed, despite the distractions of CP’s numerous showrooms and cafés, it is always to the flag that one’s gaze returns. One may look at the tricolour by standing directly under it at Central Park, or one may look at it from outside CP— a vantage point on the distant Barakhamba flyover gives a stunning view of the flag during the sunset. You may also spot the tricolour from within the Wenger’s cake shop.

And now consider this blue afternoon. The F block is teeming with people. Some citizens are walking, some are sitting, some are on their mobile. Suddenly a head in the crowd casually turns upwards towards the flag, and then it stays motionless. As if rapt withal.