Meet Abdul Gaffar, the man who serves his nation by sewing national flags

The entire country is draped with the tricolour as India celebrates its 74th Independence Day. As the national flag flutters proudly across the country and evokes a sense of patriotism, the hands that create the flags remain largely unknown to the world. Abdul Gaffar's story is a tale of those flag-makers who serve the country with their sewing machines.

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Seventy-year-old Abdul Gaffar is a 'Jhande Wale' (one who sells flags) in Delhi's Sadar Bazar. He has been sewing national flags for the last 50 years and takes immense pride in his work. "Main ye desh ke liye karta hu (I do this for my country)," he says.

The tradition did not start with Abdul Gaffar, however. The practice of sewing national flags began long ago with his ancestors.

"It was started by my grandfather Mohammad Hussain who used to make flags from khadi during India's freedom struggle," Gaffar says. "In those days, Bengal used to supply khadi material, but the supply line dried up with time. It was my grandfather's little contribution to India's freedom struggle. After him, my father Abdul Rahman took over the mantle and later passed it on to me. "

Gaffar himself used to make flags during the Emergency period of the 1970s. It was a volatile situation but his business boomed amid those gloomy days. "It was a very difficult situation, the entire society was in danger," he recalls. "Fortunately, we did not face any difficulty in our work, and had to make a lot of flags as everybody wanted to hoist something or the other with the face of Indira Gandhi in them."

The Covid-19 outbreak has had a severe impact on the global economy. Businesses have faltered and Gaffar has also been hit hard. "The pandemic has affected my business, reducing it by 10%," he laments. "The business has picked up in the last two to three days, but that is certainly not enough. Even the national flags we made last year have not sold out completely, some will be left even after Aug. 15.

"Earlier, the bigger flags that cost around Rs 7,000 used to sell a lot, but this year I have managed to sell only about 10. We used to send flags to other parts of India as well, but this time it has not been possible."

The days were better not that long ago. Gaffar's voice quivers with joy while remembering it. "It was a very profitable business before this pandemic," he says. "Especially during the elections, we had to work round the clock to finish the orders within the deadline." There's now also a tinge of sadness. "We are making flags for the Bihar and Bengal elections. Let's see how things work."

Gaffar says he shows no partiality when making flags for political parties. "We make flags for all political parties, even for the parties down south," he says. "There is no special favour for anyone." His sense of patriotism remains his guiding principle. "We don't make any flag that is offensive to the country," he says.

Gaffar also makes flags that are as cheap as four to 12 rupees as he likes to cater to all classes of society. "I give flags for free to some people on Independence Day, especially to the poor people," Gaffar says. "It is my service to society."

Gaffar opines that the Independence Day this year will be quieter, with people choosing to stay indoors. Nevertheless, celebrations will continue within the homes. "Every year on this day, we celebrate at home, cook some delicious dishes," he muses. "Relatives come to our house, ladies wear tricolour dresses and some apply tricolour stickers on their cheeks. We celebrate this occasion grandly, for you see we are a huge family. All of us pray for our country together."

And what about the future? "My brothers are also involved in this, ye silsila jari rahega (the legacy will continue)," Gaffar says. "I have one daughter, she is married. Even her husband is in this business. We will continue to sew the national flag for years to come."

No matter the challenges, Gaffar chooses to hold his head high as a servant of the land. "I am proud to be doing something for my country," he adds.