A Bengaluru school revives Independence Day tradition of hoisting flag at midnight

The flag hoisting was held at RBANM’s High School in Bengaluru. It was part of an event to spread awareness about the Constitution and Bengaluru’s and Karnataka’s role in the freedom struggle.

The tradition of hoisting the national flag at midnight on Independence Day in Bengaluru was revived early on Thursday morning by RBANM’s Educational Charities and the ‘Satyameva Jayate’ movement working towards furthering constitutional literacy.

3 min readBengaluruAug 16, 2024 08:46 PM IST First published on: Aug 15, 2024 at 09:08 AM IST

Written by Ritisha Mitra

The tradition of hoisting the national flag at midnight on Independence Day in Bengaluru was revived early on Thursday morning by RBANM’s Educational Charities and ‘SatyamevaJayate’, a collective of progressive artists and members of civil society.

“Bengaluru has always had this tradition of midnight flag hoisting; freedom fighters would hoist the flag at midnight at Sajjan Rao Circle and Mysore Bank Circle where they now have the Quit India Movement memorial for the three students who were shot dead during the protests. To revive this tradition, we brought together like-minded people to make this event possible,” said Vinay Kumar, the man behind the ‘Reclaim Constitution’ movement working towards furthering constitutional literacy.

“‘Reclaim Constitution’ and RBANM’s institutions together want to showcase this city, its community and bring forth an appreciation for our freedom which we seem to take for granted today, 78 years after our nation’s Independence,” Kumar said.

The midnight flag hoisting was held at RBANM’s High School as part of its Independence Day programme from 5 pm on August 14 to 1 am on August 15.

Students of RBANM’s schools came together to perform skits on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the lesser-known Vidurashwatha massacre in Karnataka and the founding mothers of the Constitution. These were followed by musical and dance performances by Savitri Bai and Gor Banjara group, Sahachaari, Rumi Harsh, Shabnam Virmani and Group, Binsi Majboor Akbar and Nirdigantha.

The event aimed to create citizens who are Constitution-literate and also to spread awareness about Bengaluru’s and Karnataka’s involvement in the freedom struggle.

An exhibition was put up by civil society organisations, NGOs and individuals working towards preserving constitutional values. Stalls showcased the Constitution, freedom fighters etc and food stalls hosted by students’ parents who own small street food shops dotted the bustling premises.

The event aimed to create citizens who are Constitution-literate and also to spread awareness about Bengaluru’s and Karnataka’s involvement in the freedom struggle.

“The freedom of India did not come free. Somewhere I think we might be forgetting the history of India and I think the legacy of our country must be passed down in the same way rituals are passed down. We want our children to not forget their roots and realise the struggle,” said Chudarathna, Administrative Officer, RBANM’s institutions.

RBANM’s Educational Charities helps students from lower economic backgrounds with subsidised English language education from primary school to post-graduate levels. “The children who are rejected and made to feel like outliers in their community are given a space here because we do not believe in discrimination,” Chudarathna said.

Speaking about Dharmarathnakara Rai Bahadur Arcot Narrainsawmy Mudaliar, the founder of RBANM’s institutions, Arvind Narrain, an RBANM board member and family member, said he “not only fought against the colonial oppressors, he also fought against the norms of his own society by being open to women and Dalits which I think is truly visionary”.

“We see this institution as a link to this city and its community. We want our children to know where they come from,” Narrain added. The primary school children also put on a play to pay tribute to Mudaliar.