Working round the year to make perfectly tailored tricolours that stand the test of time, the Khadi Dyers and Printers consider it their national calling
This is a busy time for Dhanesh Navichandra Bhatt. One of the two people in the country who holds a license to make certified national flags, Bhatt is busy overseeing and packing off the tri-colour to various parts of the country. Having taken over the workings of the Khadi Dyers and Printers from his late father-in-law Shri Labhshankar Chakubhai Joshi, it is more than “business” for Bhatt and his wife who took charge of the organisation in 1995. “I won’t call it business. Making flags for us does not have any commercial utility; it’s a matter of national pride,” he says sitting in his Borivali workshop.
From the year 1950 to 2000, Bhatt tells us, there was nobody holding a licence to make certified flags in India. “My father-in-law was a hardworking man and started KDP in 1966, but he didn’t bother with the legalities or formalities of holding a licence. After he passed away, my brother and I got a licence for ISI-certified flags and have been a certified centre since 2000. We initially started off with only making the Ashoka Chakra, but for the longest time now we have been assembling the entire flag.”
KDP has tied up with Dharwad Taluka Garag Kshetriya Seva Sangha which in turn has a tie-up with Hubli-based Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), permitted by the Central government, to manufacture the cloth for tricolours and supply it to the entire nation. KKGSS is the second manufacturer of the national flag other than KDP.
While the demand for the flag rises during the run-up to the Republic Day and Independence Day, the workshop is buzzing throughout the year too, supplying flags to government offices, education institutions, hospitals, banks etc since it is mandatory for all the government offices and institutions to use ISI certified flags.
Making a flag that adheres to mandates set by the Bureau of Indian Standards means looking into various aspects such as size, weight, colour, texture etc. Taking us through the drill, Bhatt tells us, “Everything associated with the flag is measured and made according to strict specification. The weight, the tensile strength, everything needs to be checked. Since a flag is hoisted and out in the sun from 8 am to 6 pm at a government office, we have to make sure that the colours don’t bleed or fade. Next we check the ph level of the flag. If the acidic content is high, there is a chance that the fabric may tear. So it has to be neutral. The wooden toggle (that holds the flag to the pole) also has its set of specifications apart from the Ashoka Chakra. Making it manually is difficult, so we use computers now. We have to carry almost 40 tests to make the flag ISI certified. From colouring, bleaching, stitching, assembling — we are carrying out tests throughout the year.”
The Bhatt family may have dedicated a lifetime to the manufacturing of the Indian tri-colour, but given the nature and not-so-abundant returns, it does not lure many youngsters. “To handle the labour is a tough job. New people don’t want to get these jobs because it’s a small-scale business. Air-conditioned malls and good uniforms attract them and they’ll never come to us. This is the major reason, our staff is very old but have stuck it out with us.” What about the next generation of Bhatts “My daughter is a bank employee and my son works as a computer engineer. We will have to see who takes the responsibility later. We will definitely try to keep the legacy on.”
Bhatt has one last word for everyone. “The flags may be more expensive that the non-ISI certified ones, but they provide a living to many poor people who opt for this industry despite other lures. Everyone must buy at least one flag every year.”
Journey of a tri-colour The raw material or cloth for the flag comes from Dharwad in Karnataka. It is bleached and dyed in Dombivali before going for stitching in Vasai. The flag is then assembled in Borivali where it is also imprinted with the Ashoka Chakra. After a quality check, it is sent to various places across the country. Flags hoisted by state heads or in government offices are hand spun and hand woven.
The Khadi Dyers and Printers works with approximately 30,000-40,000 metres of cloth annually.
The smallest ISI-certified flag costs Rs 600 while the bigger ones hoisted in government institutions cost up to Rs 19,000. It measures 14 feet by 21 feet and uses over 43 metres of cloth.
