Man in Mangaluru hoists tricolour every day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched Har Ghar Tiranga

The practice of hoisting the flag in Devanga Bhavan in Mangaluru every day was started on August 13, 2022.

Sharanappa Manneri Jalihal, a 65-year-old native of Badami in Bagalkot district of Karnataka, is the caretaker of Devanga Bhavan in Mangaluru. Since August 13, 2022, he has been hoisting the tricolour at Devanga Bhavan at 8 a.m. and lowering it at 6 p.m. every day, a task that he deems a great honour.

Kshiti Mamloor, the managing trustee of Bhagawathi Trust that manages Bhagavati temple, Kukkady Shri Arasu Mundattaya Daivastana and Devanga Bhavan, said that, following the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022, a flag pole was built and a khadi tri-colour was procured. On August 13, 2022, the Trust started the practice of hoisting the flag in Devanga Bhavan every day.

“On August 15, 2022, Sharanappa Manneri Jalihal hoisted the flag and lowered it in the evening. Asked whether he can do it daily, Mr. Jalihal agreed. He has been doing it with full dedication,” Mr. Mamloor told The Hindu.

Mr. Jalihal wears a white dhoti and white Gandhi topi while hoisting and lowering the tri-colour. “The flag is hoisted at the time when pooja starts in the temple. A part of the flowers used for pooja is spread at the base of the flag post before the tri-colour is hoisted. Kshiti master (Mr. Mamloor) taught me the procedure to be followed while hoisting and lowering the flag,” Mr. Jalihal told The Hindu. His grand-daughter Vijayalakshmi helps him perform the task.

After this Independence Day (August 15, 2023), the Trust will discontinue the practice as the flag post will be removed during renovation work in the temple “We will resume the practice of hoisting the flag after renovation of the temple is completed, which includes building a new flag post,” Mr. Mamloor said.

The Trust will start a year-long campaign through WhatsApp to highlight the sacrifice of freedom-fighters, Mr. Mamloor said. The Trust has four WhatsApp groups related to the Devanga community and the temple. A write-up on various freedom-fighters, along with their photograph, will be posted daily for a year in those groups from August 16, 2023, he said.