WHILE old-timers would tell you that it’s all in the heart, patriotism these days is being worn on the sleeve, downloaded from the Internet, and also features on cellphone ringtones. That’s the way the youth want it to be. Helping them along are marketing men who’ve just tiptoed into another niche.

The most eye-catching examples are clothes and accessories. Tricolour tees and caps have been around for some time, but this year there are short kurtas in the colours of the flag, tri-colour bandanas and belts, handbags with India prints, backpacks, watches, mugs and even panels for mobile phones.

Says Samarjit Singh, senior category manager of auction site baazee.com, ‘‘We sold 600-800 pieces of tricolour cellphone panels and that’s all our stock. Interestingly, these panels come from China!’’

Forget cool cellphone panels, even mundane desktop flags are in the game at card shops and the like. Runish Chhadha, general manager of Satyam Collections, a leading card shop in downtown Mumbai which sells around 25 units a month, says that there is potential for growth in the market.

The people who’ve hopped on to the trendy plastic-linen-leather wave have their own rationale.

When Parul Seth’s cellphone started ringing in the middle of a meeting, glares were followed by giggles. But Seth is not bothered about being teased for her Sare Jahaan Se Accha ringtone. “Some of my friends make fun of me, but I think it’s cool, yaar,’’ says the 25-year-old account executive at an ad agency.

Or they could be like Anand Panangipally, 27, who says, “The older generation prefers to keep quiet but young people want to express their solidarity.’’ While this ‘ultimate fan’ of the country would love to fly a flag in his house, he can’t take up the responsibility to maintain it, and hence the more convenient tricolour thumb print tee that reads ‘Don’t ask me who I am’. Tees like Anand’s, in fact, sold over 10,000 pieces in August alone on the Rediff website, and are still making waves.

Popular T-shirt maker Tantra, with its baseline ‘India, it’s hip not square’, is trying to position itself as a global ambassador for India. ‘‘Just like Levi’s or Marlboro are brands which personify America, through our T-shirts we try to encapsulate the essence of our country,’’ says Ranjiv Ramchandani, director, Tantra.

Fortunately, there are rare expressions of love for one’s own country that are more intense and appear a lot more sincere. Like with creative directors at advertising agency Ambience D’Arcy, Manish Bhatt and B Raghu. Bhatt and Raghu were indignant on observing a whole lot of people at film theatres chatting, sitting and idling around when the national anthem was being played.

The general disrespect and indifference propelled these ad men into making a short film reinforcing patriotic values. ‘‘How can you respect your nation if you cannot respect your national anthem?’’ asks Amitabh Bachchan, as the film nears its end.

Or it can be found on the tricolour stickers on the back of Mumbai taxi driver Hari Shankar’s Fiat. "Deshbhakti ke liye lagaya," is 30-year-old Shankar’s uncomplicated answer.

When I read that the Indian Army is short of 30,000 officers, I felt ashamed. It’s time we realised our responsibility towards our nation Anil Sharma, director

Filmi patriotic music has also taken off through mobile ringtones. In August alone, BPL mobile recorded more than 15,000 downloads of songs like Bharat Humko Jaan Se, Maa Tujhe Salaam and Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon.

“Though it happens through the year, during August the downloads of our three patriotic polyphonic tunes shot up,’’ informs Rajshree Iqbal, content head of Yahoo India. No doubt, ringtones, tees etc are trendy, but for many others, the Indian flag is expression enough. Naveen Jindal— son of industrialist OP Jindal, who won a petition challenging the government’s restrictions on flying the Indian flag in 2002—and his wife Shallu make sure that no celebration is complete without the flag. Be it Diwali, Holi or any other festival—the couple’s standard gift is the tricolour.

But if homegrown corporates have been conducting celebrations on both Independence Day and Republic Day for a long time, companies of the globalised era, like Mumbai-based business process outsourcing unit Transworks also does its bit by holding special theme-based events.

Says Baljit Ahluwalia, senior training manager, Transworks, “Such initiatives are especially important in our business because our executives are constantly exposed to Western work culture. Unwittingly, they are losing their Indian connection.”

Trends, fads, and corporate gestures notwithstanding, Thane resident Prasun Singh’s case seems to be the most sincere. Says Singh, from whose flat the tricolour has been fluttering proudly for the last two years, “Before the government ruling, the flag was just a concept. Today, it’s a simple way of proclaiming the love I have for my country.” Now that, old timers will tell you, comes straight from the heart.