At 72, Jagdish Ram's heart still beats for the nation. However, on Republic Day, it beats with a bang and to the burst of crackers - on top of his house. At the top of his voice he sings "Saare Jahan Se Achchha Hindustan Hamara" after unfurling the national flag, so does the august gathering standing in clearly demarcated lines for males and females. Then he shouts "Jai Hind" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" thrice each, so does the small audience at this small village called Charola in Una district of Himachal Pradesh. As the Tricolour flutters above, he stands puffed up with pride in his uniform. Pinned to his shirt are 11 medals, the most prominent being the President's Police Award for Meritorious Service and UN Medal for Peacekeeping (for his one-year stint in Kosovo). Ram retired as Assistant Commandant from CRPF on February 29, 2008. He had joined the paramilitary force on the day of his 18th "happy birthday". Since then it has been a happy journey - in love with the force as well as the country. Sardar Patel's sketch graces the pile of papers he carries because of the role the "iron man" played in the transition of the force from Crown Representative's Police to Central Reserve Police Force. And Ram's love for the country started flying high like the Tricolour atop his house in 2009 - much before the Centre's Har Ghar Tiranga campaign launched in the 75th year of Independence in 2022. "On August 15, 2008, I had twice called a former senior colleague of mine based at Nagaur in Rajasthan to congratulate him on the Independence Day. He didn't answer my phone calls. But after a few minutes, he called back and told me he was busy hoisting the national flag at home. That was quite inspiring," says Ram. Armed with the 2004 verdict of the Supreme Court which allowed ordinary citizens to unfurl the Tricolour at their houses, Ram held discussions with the like-minded people of his village and 15 of them, including ex-servicemen, came forward who later became founding members of his team. Now 10 of them remain, the rest have passed away. "I was looking for a platform to do social service, and I found one when I began hoisting the Tricolour at home," says Ram. "It's 15 years now. Next year I'll honour the founding members as well." The founding members claim it is a one-man show. "He does not take a single penny from us. He spends from his own pocket," says Sham Sunder Sharma, a founding member and former school Sanskrit lecturer. "Yeh logon ko rashtra se jodane ki koshish hai (It is an attempt to connect people with the country). In his speech, he highlights the good work being done in the country." The highlight of the celebration is the honour bestowed on the best. The students who score more than 80 per cent in Class 12 get a pat on their backs. This year, four girls of his village were awarded. Each one got Rs 1,100, a pen worth Rs 100, a Tiranga scarf and a garland. "In these 15 years, boys have been awarded only twice or thrice. Mostly girls do well - better than boys," says Ram. Eighteen-year-old Sanjna Devi felt on top of the world. "I felt proud and encouraged as I was honoured in the presence of famous people of our village and my family," says Devi, who secured 86.40 per cent in Class 12. Widows get a word of encouragement - in addition to Rs 501, a shawl worth Rs 1,000 and a Tiranga scarf. This time, two widows were honoured. One of them was 47-year-old Suman Lata. She got this honour for a second time - the last time was a few years ago - for bringing up her two sons well. Now both of them are in the Army. "Koi izzat kare to achchha lagata hai. Main unko dhanyavad kehna chahati hoon (If one gets respect, it feels nice. I want to thank him)," says Lata. This year, four corona warriors were honoured, with each one getting Rs 501, a Tiranga scarf and a garland. "Bahut achchha laga. Proud feel hota hai (It felt very nice. I felt proud)," says 23-year-old Anuradha Rathor, a nurse who works at a private hospital. Forty-two-year-old Satpinder Kaur, a member of panchayat, was honoured with Rs 501, a Tiranga scarf and a garland for doing good work in her ward. "Main imaandari se kaam karti hoon. Samman pakar bahut achcha laga (I work honestly. It felt so nice to get this honour)," says Kaur. There is an in-house category - for family and relatives - as well. This time, 35-year-old Shiv Kumar got Rs 501 and a memento for being recruited as a government teacher in 2019. "Badhiya hai (It's nice)! In fact, it's a rare gesture," says Kumar, who has done BSc, MBA and JBT. The VIP in this category has been Ram's wife Nirmala Devi who remained bed-ridden for six years. She was awarded Dhiman Parivar Ratan, a gold medal weighing around two tolas, in 2019. Ram considers himself lucky to have served her, shifting her at least 10 times a day from the wheelchair to the bed and vice versa. He got a lift installed at the house especially for her. She died of Covid aged 71 on February 5, 2022. "I am 65 kg. She was 85 kg. God gave me strength to take care of her. Yeh kuchh bhi nahin, uske liye to main qurban bhi ho jata (This is nothing. I could have sacrificed my life for her because she did so much for my family). Like a mother, she brought up two younger brothers and a sister of mine," says Ram with teary eyes. The overall VVIP, however, is the Tricolour. For the next week or so, it is to be hoisted before sunrise and taken down before sunset. Finally, on an auspicious day, it is to be removed and kept in a special briefcase. Its pole too is removed and kept aside. "Iss desh ne humein bahut kuchh diya hai. Humein 26 January and 15 August zaroor manane chahiye. Humein Tiranga zaroor phehrana chahiye (This country has given us so much. We must celebrate January 26 and August 15. We must unfurl Tiranga)," says Ram before treating everyone present to chhole-bhature.
