[wanderernomad]

I had witnessed the flag lowering ceremony at Wagah last time around 1998 and had very fond memories of that time. So this time around with family and another friends family in tow we went to witness it again. But how I wish I could have not gone!!
What I witnessed this time was a circus which was staged more for the amusement of the bored BSF contingent rather than the actual ceremony. The low points of the entire ceremony were:-
1. Total lack of crowd control and public management.
2. Disgrace to the Flag by making people run in a manner they deemed fit with the Tricolour.
3. Making girls and women dance to bollywood tunes.
4. Letting people run around with the Tricolour and getting the pictures clicked without an iota of responsibility to the Flag.
5. The parade leaders's total lack of practice and not being able to march even 100 mts in sync.

So instead of conducting the entire ceremony in a poised, dignified patriotic manner, the BSF has turned it into a boisterous, loud, rowdy manner as if its not a flag lowering ceremony but a nukkad festival.

I wonder what picture are we presenting to the other side, I am sure its not a tactical move by holding such a drill to demoralize and probably drive the other side crazy or maybe kill them psychologically and drive them to desert the border post out of sheer desperation!!

[dadu]

I agree, its no longer a place to go with your family and specially on weekends.

[hvkumar]

Well, I guess the BSF is just responding to what the crowds want!
You forgot how the Indians and Pakis out-shout each other with their Jai Hinds and Pakistan Zindabads!

[BBR_SHR]

That is the reason people go and watch it. It is another dimension to entertainment. Patriotic bullying. Many people love this gawdy Wagah stuff.

[Durango Dude]

I read some where that the 'heavy footed' march past was having serious repercussions on the feet of the jawans and its going to be toned down.

[Jayabusa]

This is very, very, very sad. But what else can we expect when everyone thinks that patriotism is to be 'shown' only on two days of the year and love for cricket is the only way of showing love for your Nation.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

2. Disgrace to the Flag by making people run in a manner they deemed fit with the Tricolour.
3. Making girls and women dance to bollywood tunes.
4. Letting people run around with the Tricolour and getting the pictures clicked without an iota of responsibility to the Flag.

Couldn't agree with you more. It's total nautanki at a very inappropriate place. But guess, that is exactly what most people want.

Flag lowering, marching is all fine. But calling girls, females to come and dance and the way they make people run with the tricolour is downright disgusting.

The whole patriotic feeling you're supposed to get looking at the border and the spirited marching is all lost with all the "entertainment".

It's a bloody mela out there; someone got it very very wrong.

[sgiitk]

I like the title. As we are heading into saner (hopefully) times, I think this circus must stop, or at least me toned down to a non-event. While India has moved on and Pakistan in at best one item on our psyche, take the situation across the border. India is the raison de etre of the country. This sort of show only reinforces the stereotype.

[Ragul]

I had one look at that face to face eyeballing with big mustachios etc on TV and I thought it was sheer nonsense. I couldn't believe crowds were thronging there to watch that kind of tamasha.

--Ragul

[.sushilkumar]

having spend 23 years of life in BSF campus and All, All being done is based on public demand and based on feedback of highers up;s. As for showing dis-respect to flag goes, than i guess it;s better than what we all do atleast on every republic & independence day.

[sam003]

I been their this summer only and it was like 37 degree hot and humid. Crowd is like more than 3-4K people easily. No control from BSF, no respect for elder people, ladies with kids etc etc. When my father argue with one of the person hitting everyone with his horse, then he let my father go without line. No point watching when you all wet from head to toe, no place to stand either. But all well when ends well, despite all these I personally loved to see what was happening. No regret on that.

[huntrz]

Slightly off topic - but I think our laws about what causes dis-respect to the national flag are annoyingly insane and paranoid. Every other action by every other person these days is taken as a disrespect to the flag, which is simply outrageous. For example i remember there was an issue about Mandira bedi wearing it below the waist, and some celebrity cutting a cake with the flag made on it, Indian team wearing it on a wrong way after T20 world cup, flag soaked in champagne after world cup victory, hoisting national flag on non govt buildings was not allowed once(this was contested by one of our politicians). I think there hasn't been celebration in recent past with out so called "disrespect" to the national flag even though showing disrespect was the last thing on the mind of the people involved. Every time I hear about such incidents of so called "disrespect" I really feel disgusting and my resolve to stay away from the tri color for the fear of insulting it grows stronger. I wonder if such laws encourage patriotism or discourage it.

[wanderernomad]

I could not agree with you more on the issue of disrespect, however, I still feel there is a difference in proudly wearing/using it and/or merely using it as a prop for your personal satisfaction.

@ sushil: I am sure if you are from the force, you would appreciate that certain things are meant to be done in a proper manner and not by public demand, we have bollywood for it.

[.sushilkumar]

^^ no sir, i am not from force. I understand your point but one needs to understand how forces work. it;s a one way communication , only order flow from top, no questions asked . those on the ground have no say in all this. Moreover i am sure those guard;s there would have never asked those ladies to dance there. local politicos and other too play on the ground.

[avisidhu]

A tip to those who travel up north and want to see this ceremony: try catching it at the Hussainiwala Border instead (in Ferozpur, around 150 KMs south of Wagah). Has none of the circus going on at Wagah currently, thankfully. The crowd is a lot less as well, so you get to see the actual ceremony in a much better fashion.

Besides, you get to visit the final resting place of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev which is quite nearby.