Independence Day: Strong patriotic fervour sets cash register ringing in Sadar Bazaar

The perpetually busy by-lanes of Sadar Bazaar are witnessing an even greater surge in footfall, as residents of Delhi-NCR flock to the market to purchase the Tricolour and related paraphernalia, gearing up to celebrate India’s 79th Independence Day and keep their date with patriotic merchandise on the historic day.

This sudden spike in demand has already made the occasion a ‘happy’ one for long-time flag sellers. Like always, it’s the Tricolour, especially the satin version, that is flying off the shelves, clearly outshining all other items.

Surrounded by heaps of flags and other knick-knacks in various makes and sizes, Satish Khurana, owner of Sonal International, is a busy man — constantly juggling phone calls and attending to a steady stream of customers in his narrow shop packed with merchandise.

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“Business is booming this time. There’s a huge demand for flags, and accessories are also selling well. For children, there are T-shirts, wristbands and more. All the merchandise comes in different fabric such as satin, cotton, and khadi. I have to admit the demand is noticeably higher this time,” Khurana said.

Patriotism is in the air as shops lining the bustling streets of the wholesale markets display banner-sized flags and are decked with tricolour festoons and hanging decorations.

Step in a little further, and you’ll find shops glutted with slogan-bearing T-shirts and sunglasses, tricolour hair clips for girls, wristbands, bangles, caps, brooches, badges and just about every patriotic accessory imaginable.

The prices for these wares start from as low as 50 paise for a plastic flag to Rs 200 per piece for a fancy accessory. Larger fabric flags are priced even higher, depending on their size and material.

Dayal Dass Sindhi of Sindhi Traders, who has been in the business for more than two decades, credits the growing sense of patriotism among Indians for the surge in demand.

“Demand is increasing by the day, and it keeps growing every year — people feel more patriotic and want to express it. That said, the 75th Independence Day celebration was on another level,” he said, adding how people now want to express their national pride by flying a flag atop their homes — or quite literally wearing it, whether through a T-shirt or a wristband.

Many also credited the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, first launched in 2022 under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, for driving the sales.

The campaign urges citizens to bring the Tricolour home and hoist it to mark India’s independence.

For example, according to most traders, if they sell 5-10 flags on a normal day, they end up selling over hundreds of flags during the run-up to Independence Day.

However, Kishan Lal, who works at Anil Bhai Rakhiwla, a known store in the market, has a different take.

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Though pleased with the sales, Lal is of the opinion that the impact of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign is slightly less this year compared to the previous ones.

He attributed this to the “relatively less promotion” of the campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“If only Prime Minister Modi had promoted it with the same intensity as before, flag sales would have skyrocketed. We might have even faced a shortage of flags. That said, the demand is still more than satisfactory,” Lal said.