With the country all set to mark its 63rd Independence Day on Saturday, the revamped Khadi Mandal in Sector 22 has a reason to cheer. As the shop runs out of stock of the tricolour on the eve of I-Day, the beaming manager shares the sales figures with pride.

“The sales have gone beyond our expectation this year. Since August 1, we have sold as many as 2 lakh flags. And customers are still pouring in,” says T P Gupta, the manager of the Kshetriya Punjab Khadi Mandal outlet in Sector 22, one of the leading shops which supplies flags to Chandigarh and Punjab.

Compared to last year, sales this time have seen a jump of nearly 35 per cent, says the manager.

“A majority of the requests for the national flag comes from institutions and offices, which mark the day by hoisting the tricolour. But the number of individuals purchasing I-Day merchandise is also steadily on the rise,” adds Gupta.

Another outlet of Khadi in Sector 17, too, says the response has been good this year and the sales picked up this month for both medium-sized and stand flags.

“Smaller tricolours with stands are generally preferred by individuals who want to keep it in their homes or offices. The full-sized flags have also been in demand this year,” says an outlet manager in Sector 17.

While patriotic sentiments draw people to purchasing flags, the surge in sales, adds the manager, is also owing to the fact that hoisting of flags has been made compulsory in some schools.

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