Alappuzha: Every year on August 15, eager and proud students watch the hoisting of the National Flag as part of the Independence Day celebrations in their respective schools.
However, it is a daily experience and a proud feeling for a section of students at the Kulanada grama panchayat Higher Secondary School.
As they walk to the school every morning past the ‘Tharayil’ House of Thomas Kunjunju, they watch the display of the tricolor in the house.
In fact, Thomas, a retired police officer aged 94 years, made it a point to hoist the flag on every Independence Day for the last 26 years. In the last one year, the National Flag was hoisted in the house daily.
Though Thomas, who started his career as a staffer of the Travancore Police, suffers from age-related ailments, he would face the flag and stand at attention as the National Anthem is played and the flag hoisted.
“Patriotism is an inextricable part of him; the households in the neighbourhood too are influenced by his love for the country. As the sound of the National Anthem echoes, no matter where we are, we all stand at attention, including my father despite his ailments. The tricolor fluttering in the sky in front of our house…. it’s like a daily prayer for us now,” Jose K Thomas, his son, told Onmanorama.
The intense patriotic feeling of Thomas has passed on to the next generation. “I will stand at attention if I hear the National Anthem even on the radio. That’s how I was brought up,” said his grandson Major Vivek, who is serving in the Indian Army.
“During my college days, I used to stand at attention when the National Anthem was being played at the nearby school. My friends and classmates initially used to laugh at me. It didn’t matter to me; I continued showing respect to the National Flag and Anthem as always. Finally, they too began to pay respect,” said Kochurani K J Thomas, his granddaughter who is an NCC certificate winner and teacher.
The household hoists the flag every day by strictly adhering to the Flag Codes.
“It’s every citizen’s duty to honour the National Flag and National Anthem. All should properly follow the Flag Code while hoisting the tricolor. For instance, the flag should always be hoisted briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously. Similarly, it should be displayed only after sunrise and before sunset. Everybody around should stand at attention. There are clear-cut guidelines as to how the flag should be displayed,” Jose shared some thoughts from his father.
Flag flown at half-mast during mourning of Oommen Chandy
When the former chief minister and member of the assembly for 53 years, Oommen Chandy passed away, the national flag at Tharayil House was flown at half-mast as a sign of state mourning.
“We sought permission from the Raj Bhavan and Secretariat even before the Chief Secretary passed the official order observing three-day mourning. Finally, the flag was flown half-mast as the authorities officially announced the mourning,” Jose said.
