August 15 is approaching and our National Flag is being peddled at traffic signals and other public places. Made of plastic, many of these in fact violate the strictest codes laid down by our constitution.  However, a few places in India diligently follow these specifications and make our National Flag with pride.

When a friend recently mentioned about this unique place in Mumbai that make the tricolour using hand-woven cloth and to the exact specifications, we became curious. The TGDC 3-hour driving assignment saw us searching for this place.  After a couple of wrong turns, we were at Kora Kendra, in Borivli. But lack of skilled people (according to the in-charge, it is quite a task to get the Ashok Chakra printed to the exact specifications) resulted in Kora Kendra outsourcing the work to a private dyer & printer.

Khadi Dyers and Printers were just outside Kora Kendra and are authorized to make the flags, but sell only through KVIC-approved outlets. When we reached the place, they were busy packing the flags to be shipped off to various parts of the country. Mr Ganesh, who runs the unit, patiently explained the intricacies of making the flag, quality of the cloth, permissible sizes of the flags, etc.

Apart from India, flags of 130 countries are also made here. This is also one of the top flag-makers in the country.