The Republic Day flag mishap incident has drawn flak from all segments of Arunachal society, expectedly. It was a day, grand as usual for every Arunachalee and the venue was the prestigious Indira Gandhi parade ground with Governor BD Mishra about to hoist and unfurl the national Tricolor to be followed by the national anthem- the most hallowed parts of the whole ceremony.
But it was beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, present on the occasion at the venue or those watching on televisions to fathom the shock that is in store for them. The Governor goes on to hoist the Tricolor, but to the utter dismay of all, the flag snaps off the pole and lands on the ground. Our Governor, with a solid and chequered career as an army man with his military instinct displayed a remarkable equilibrium, directed a jawan to hold the Tricolor aloft, saluted it and paved the way for the national anthem to play, thus saving the occasion from further blushes. We all know what the Tricolor or tiranga means to us. It is the representation of our nation as an entity, a tribute to our great leaders who struggled relentlessly to achieve freedom and also to the members of our armed forces who have ungrudgingly laid down their lives to keep it flying in its full glory. It is the symbol of our enviable success of existence as a nation- a melting pot of many diverse ethnic groups, castes, cultures, races and religions.  A memorable scene from the film Roza is perhaps still remembered by many of us. Rishi, the protagonist, held captive by the terrorists  with his hands tightly tied,desperately trying to douse our  national flag set on fire, almost setting  himself ablaze.Now that the incident has happened and its video going viral  it is now the time for reactions to surface. Quite obviously the student bodies of the state have expressed their deepest resentment demanding highest possible punishment under law of the land for those responsible and rightly so. They are the future of Arunachal and the shabby image of the state that has been painted after this event has stirred their nationalistic sentiments. They expect something noble from state’s behalf and anything contemptible like this is bound create an aura of cynicism among them.With the official enquiry on to nab the person(s) responsible for this shameful chapter it can be safely concluded  that these incidents where overflowing mass sentiments are involved  are very much avoidable. A little more care, responsibility and accountability of the departments involved and a zero tolerance towards mismanagement will go a long way in ensuring that things of such negative complexions are never repeated. Now it is for us to monitor the future similar occasions and judge whether rectification of errors have been properly done or the lackadaisical attitude has sustained and triumphed.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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