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Cricketers, drivers won't wear flag
Cricketers, Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok have decided not to wear India's flag on helmets.
Indian cricketers and ace car drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok have decided not to wear the Indian flags on their helmets, though they said on Saturday that they had not received any communiqué from the government.
Their reaction comes a day after Home Minister Shivaraj Patil told a top Indian cricket board official that players could use the three colours of the flag on their clothing and kit, but without the Ashoka Chakra.
"The board has not told us not to wear the flag on our helmets, but we (the team) have decided not to wear it (in the series against Pakistan)," a member of the Indian Test team told IANS.
Indian cricket board chief Ranbir Singh Mahendra confirmed that the players would not wear the miniature flags on their helmets - at least not in the upcoming three-Test series against Pakistan next month.
The government had only written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) February 11 that the national flag must "not be used as a portion of costume or uniform of any description, including helmets."
After the board received that letter along with another one from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), dated February 3, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla wrote to Patil on Wednesday, seeking a "clarification" if the three colours in the flag could be worn.
The MHA is yet to reply to the letter, even though Shukla, who met Patil on Friday, said that the players could use the saffron, white and green colours.
Formula One driver Karthikeyan and Formula One aspirant Chandhok have, however, stopped wearing it as a precaution.
"At the present moment, he is waiting for the official communiqué (from the government), and he has decided to wait," Karthikeyan's manager said in an e-mail reply.
"Thus far no official communication has come through. I don't think Narain has had anything either," Chandhok told IANS.
Chandhok seemed perturbed and said that the issue had assumed more media attention that necessary.
"I do think this is more hype than anything and I have found it interesting to read the comments of the international press about this," he said.
Patil's diktat will dent Chandhok's pocket as getting a helmet painted costs anything up to £1,000.
"Yes, it does cost a minimum of £400 for a paint job. A good paint scheme will be anything up to £1,000," he said.
