Tiranga or the Indian flag is the pride of this nation that reflects the colours of strength, emergence and growth. It is not the wind, but it is the last breath of every martyred brave Indian soldier that flies the flag so high. The last six decades have been a blazing testimony to the agonies and the ecstasies felt, and the sacrifices made by the soldiers of this country.

The flag is symbolic of Indian existence on the map of the globe and hence there are associated protocols that the general public is largely unaware of. Display and disposal of the flag are both done as per the regulations of the Indian law. It is said that the Patriotism is not just a display of emotions, but it is also reflected in the way it is handled.

The Indian flag symbolizes freedom. It carries a rich legacy of its glorious past, the promising present and the emerging future. The respect that we unanimously feel, should show in the way we fold it, preserve or dispose it off.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose the national flag to be the display picture on his social media accounts, thereby inspiring the people to do the same, as a collective endeavour to be a part of the celebration of the Tricolour. PM Modi's tweet, during the launch of the campaign, read that it will "deepen our connect with the national flag".

The PM also wrote in his tweet that "Today, 22nd July has special relevance in our history. It was on this day in 1947 that our National Flag was adopted. Sharing some interesting nuggets from history including details of the committee associated with our Tricolour and the first Tricolour unfurled by Pandit Nehru."

Steps to be followed while folding and preserving national flag were discussed and announced by the Central government, in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, ahead of 15 August 2022, our national Independence Day. This campaign is already and set, a guide for which, step by step, on the art of folding and preserving our national flag has been posted by the ministry of Culture. The 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, launched this month, is a part of Central governments initiative of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, which is an occasion to celebrate the country's 75 years of Independence.

The Ministry of Culture has also posted a guide on the flag folding formalities as a part of the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, that urges the citizens to hoist the national flag at their homes between 13 August and 15 August.

The flag Laws and conventions recognized as the flag code of India 2002 was introduced on January 26, 2002, to guide the citizens on the use, display, and hoisting of tricolour. The Flag Code underwent certain amendments on 30 December 2021, which allowed using of polyester apart from cotton, wool, silk, and khadi for making hand-spun, hand-woven, and machine-made flags. Earlier, tricolour was allowed to be hoisted only from the sunrise to sunset. But as per another amendment that was passed on 20 July 2022, the flag can be displayed in the open day and night in the houses of its citizens.

There are four steps to fold the flag correctly.

Flag code of India lays down a set of rules for disposing the flag when it is no more fit to be displayed, worn out or old. It should be destroyed by burning. It should not be thrown on the ground.

If burning is not possible due to some reason, you can opt to bury the flag.

Also, in the case of synthetic flags, burying may not be the best option to consider. They are made of non-biodegradable materials and hence the best solution would be to give them to NGOs or environment clubs for recycling.