India on August 15th, 2024 will celebrate its 78th Independence Day. August 15, 2024, marked 78 years of freedom from British colonial rule and its atrocities on the people of India. Hundreds and thousands of people gave their lives irrespective of their religion, caste, or gender so that the future generation live and breathe in free India. August 15, 2024, is one of those days when Indians switch to Doordarshan to stream the Prime Minister's address to the nation from the Red Fort, New Delhi. For the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving the I-Day speech at Red Fort and this year as well, he will deliver the historic speech.
In the meanwhile, there are a few questions or simple confusions that often arise- whether the Prime Minister will host the Tricolour or will unfurl it? On Independence Day, we do not unfurl the tricolour but we hoist it. The terms "flag hoisting" and "flag unfurling" are commonly interchanged, but they represent different techniques for presenting the national flag.
On Independence Day, the Prime Minister hoist the Tricolour, while on Republic Day (January 26), the tricolour is unfurled. The difference can understood with the position of the flag. On Independence Day, the flag is positioned at the bottom of the pole and is raised (hoisted) by the Prime Minister, from the bottom to the top. On the other hand, on Republic Day, the flag is folded or rolled up and attached to the top of the pole. It is then unveiled (unfurled) by the President of India.
The reason behind hoisting and unfurling is what it signifies. As per reports, the hoisting of the flag on Independence Day symbolises the rise of a new nation, patriotism, and freedom from colonial rule. On the other hand, the unfurling of the Tricolour signifies to renew the commitment to the principles laid down in the Constitution, highlighting the shift from colonial rule to a sovereign, democratic republic.