During the Mohali and Kolkata Test matches against Pakistan, one saw a strange disfiguration on the helmets of Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan.
It was an unsightly patch, just below the BCCI emblem, that looked as if something had been unceremoniously ripped off.
It had -- the Indian flag, which once adorned the helmets of those cricketers proud to fly the national flag in tandem with the BCCI emblem, had by government fiat been forced to remove it.
You noticed, too, that Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly is not wearing his trademark batting gloves painted in the orange, white and green -- the national colors.
It seemed strange, those helmets. And sad.
The federal home ministry had, citing a provision of the Flag Code of India which says the tricolour should not be used on costumes or dress materials, enforced the ban.
The move left even Sports Minister Sunil Dutt mystified. "I personally feel the cricketers should use the tricolour," Dutt had said. "The national flag acts as a morale-booster."
Apparently, the government does not think the Indian players need to take visible pride in playing for their country -- so no more will you see Tendulkar kiss the national flag when he achieves a landmark; no more will the flag fly high when Pathan squares up and gets behind the line of a lifting delivery.
Why the rule? No one seems to know -- the Flag Code has been in existence all along with no one remarking on the use of the flag by Indian players; there was no immediate provocation; no evident reason why the government needed to suddenly pull this law out of its books and enforce it.
Enforcing laws is one thing -- but why this, why now? If laws of the land must be enforced, how about implementing the one that says flying kites is not allowed?
There is, you know, such a law on the books -- and it seems as silly as the one the GoI has enforced on the Indian cricketers.
This is the same government that used to ban the display of the Indian national flag by Indian citizens -- a ban that was finally lifted after a group of citizens went to court to fight for their right to show their national pride.
The petitioner on that occasion had argued that flying his country's flag was his fundamental right as an Indian citizen, a way to express his love and faith.
Are Tendulkar, Pathan and Zaheer not doing exactly that?
There are two clear laws on the subject.
The first, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act (1971), says the flag cannot be mutilated, burned, defaced, torn or trampled upon. Offenders can be jailed for up to three years or fined.
The second law, the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act (1950), says the national flag or national emblem cannot be used for commercial purposes. Nor can it be used as packaging.
It is no one's contention that Tendulkar, Pathan and Khan are violating any of these provisions.
16 years after first walking out to represent his country, Tendulkar is today being told that by sporting the flag on his helmet, he is somehow insulting the country, and its symbol.
Think of that, the next time we accuse cricketers of not taking pride in representing the country; think of how we treat the ones who do.
When I was in South Africa for the 2003 World Cup, I saw a man wearing the Indian tri-colour around his waist. Over time it had slunk down, and was now being dragged on the floor.
It outraged me. I went up to the guy and asked him why he was disrespecting the flag -- and he asked me to mind my own business.
That is the point -- it IS in fact my business, and the business of every Indian. This flag is ours -- to honor, and to defend; it is our right to fight for its use, and against its abuse.
That man in South Africa was abusing the flag; it is our right to fight that abuse. The cricketers were honoring it -- is it not equally our business to fight for their right to wear the national symbol, with pride and with honor?
Those unsightly patches on those helmets is saddening -- it is time the flag was restored, to the position it adorned till recently.
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