India's 'flag uncle' smashes own record of making 1.5 lakh tricolours a day
India Today
Abdul Gaffar has been serving his nation by sewing national flags for the past 60 years. He has now smashed his own record of making 1.5 lakh flags a day.
Sitting in a narrow room with a sewing machine at Delhi's Sadar Bazar, Abdul Gaffar, India's flag uncle, has set a record of making 1.5 lakh tricolours in a day. The 71-year-old flag-maker has been sewing flags for the past 60 years.
"The tricolour made by Gaffar has witnessed the eras of Emergency, Atal Vajpayee government, Anna Hazare Andolan," said Abdul Gaffar, the proud owner of Bharat Handlooms. All four rooms inside the shop are filled with national flags ahead of the upcoming Independence Day.
To mark India's 75th Independence Day, the Centre has come up with an initiative of 'Har Ghar Tiranga', to hoist the national flag at residences of 20 crore households during the three-day period between August 13 and August 15.
Gaffr, popularly known as ‘Jhande wale’ (one who sells flags), has been running his shop for the past 60 years.
"In 1975 and 10 years after that there was a huge demand for flags but what we are witnessing has never happened before. Currently, the demand for tricolour is at its peak,” Gaffar told India Today.
"Usually, when August 15 is around the corner, we make 4,000 to 5,000 flags a day. But this year, we are making over one lakh flags every day. The demand for these flags is so much that the shops and factories are open round the clock and the workers are working in four shifts.”
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