National flag fluttering over the MCD office has stitches and is stained with bird excreta

Tricolour in tatters

National flag fluttering over the MCD office has stitches and is stained with bird excreta

Independence Day is two days away, and the Commonwealth Games, an event to display India's heritage, is not far away either. However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is not doing itself or the nation any favours by hoisting a tricolour over its head office that is virtually in tatters.

National shame: Pictures depicting the stains and stitches on the tricolour
at MCD Town Hall. Pics/Atul Krishan

The flag that's fluttering over the Town Hall has been stitched up at two places. There are also large stains of bird excreta which have disfigured the tricolour.

MCD workers, who look after the flag, said on condition of anonymity that they had stitched up the flag after it was damaged during a storm. They also conceded that the flag hasn't been washed in some time. Senior MCD officials, when contacted, expressed their ignorance on thee issue.

Dressing down
Famous designer Malini Ramani was booked for dishonouring the national flag by the Delhi Police for wearing a dress resembling the tricolour. The case against Ms Ramani is pending in a court.u00a0 Police has said that she insulted the national flag. Ramani later on had said that she did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments towards the national flag.

Flag of our fathers
The flag, by law, is to be made of khadi, a special type of hand-spun cloth of cotton or silk made popular by Mahatma Gandhi. The manufacturing process and specifications for the flag are laid out by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The right to manufacture the flag is held by the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission, who allocate it to the regional groups. As of 2009, the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha was the sole manufacturer of the flag.

Usage of the flag is governed by the Flag Code of India and other laws relating to the national emblems. The