It was 2022. India was turning seventy-five. The Platinum Jubilee. And the Government decided to throw a massive party.
Part of the celebration was nationwide campaign called Har Ghar Tiranga. A flag in every home. A beautiful idea. Who doesn't want to see a billion people united by a single symbol? But there was a problem.
For 75 years, the Indian Tricolour followed a rule: it had to be made of khadi. With the deadline approaching, it was impossible to hand-spin millions of National Flags in time for the celebration.
So, the Ministry of Home Affairs signed an executive order on December 2021. Now polyester was allowed.
And just like that, the doors opened. Polyester flags priced between ₹25 and ₹30 flooded the market. Cheap. Shiny. Plastic. And overnight, khadi weavers lost their biggest contract.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, put it plainly:
“They (khadi industry) cannot meet the demand in such a short duration. You need to understand.”
We understood. The demand was met. But three years later? Look around. You see the consequences.
Trade data reveals a troubling coincidence. In FY24, India’s polyester yarn imports skyrocketed, estimates suggest an 80 percent surge. The timing aligns perfectly with the sudden demand for synthetic flags. For the first time in a decade, India became a net importer of polyester. Much of it came from China.
The khadi industry is suffering. Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), once the backbone of official flag manufacturing, saw sales fall from ₹4.28 crore in 2022-23 to jus ₹49 lakh by 2025.
As of January 2026, they are sitting on over ₹2 crore of unsold stock. That is the livelihood of 1,200 workers, mostly women, at immediate risk. Activists estimate the long-term impact could reach 30,000 families across the state.
I remember seeing flags back in the day. You had one. You saluted it, and when the sun went down, you folded it and put it back.
Now, go to the streets on 16th of August or on the 27th of January. It’s a graveyard of cheap, plastic flags that don’t degrade. They get trampled, choked in the gutters. They look like discarded candy wrappers.
The 75th birthday party is over. 200 million flags were hoisted. Point made. So, do we go back to business as usual? Do we go back to khadi?
Or is this just how it is now?