THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Come Onam, the tallest monumental flagpole in India would belong to Thiruvananthapuram. The vital stats of the flag would tell you that it’s no little business. Costing nearly Rs 40 lakh, the monumental flagpole has a height of 206 feet, and the flag will have a width of 48 feet, length of 72 feet and weight 27 kilos. It would be erected at Kanakakkunnu Palace, where, taking into consideration its mammoth size, it could probably be viewed from all corners of the city. It is the Flag Foundation of India led by Naveen Jindal MP that is behind the venture. Backing the initiative of his friend and colleague, Shashi Tharoor MP said at a press conference here on Thursday that the monumental flagpole is sure to add to the tourism value of the city. The CEO of the Flag Foundation of India Commander K V Singh said that the flagpole, which is a total of 206 feet (63 metre - another 2.5 metres goes to the finial decoration) long would be the eighth one in the country and the tallest. As tall as the third storey of Qutub Minar, according to him. The finial (top portion) has been designed in a special way characteristic of Kerala. It would be fabricated on knitted polyester. "A flag needs replacement in two to three months. As per the agreement reached with the State, the DTPC would look into the maintenance of the flag. It would be ready to be put up by the first week of September,’’ Singh said. According to him, the endeavour is about spreading awareness on the national flag.Very few know who designed the flag or what the blue colour in the flag stands for. Singh, for the benefit of the audience, said that it was a Muslim woman whose husband was Joint Secretary in the Constituent Assembly who designed the flag. ‘’The blue stands for progress, the limit to which India should grow. As far as the skies and deep as the oceans, the blue colour says,’’ he said. Singh said that ever since Naveen Jindal won the case in the Supreme Court which gave common man the freedom to hoist the national flag on all days of the year, the Foundation has been engaged in spreading the greatness of the flag and the pride it should instil in a citizen. The monumental flagpole is a concept to which few nations have woken up to, he said.
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