Book Review | A Flag To Die For: History And Emotions Behind The Making Of Tiranga

Navtej Sarna’s book is rich in anecdotes and grounded in meticulous historical research, yet it never dilutes the emotional bond that people share with the National Flag.

Captain Vikram Batra will always be remembered for successfully leading one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare in Indian history. As narrated by Harinder Baweja in her book Soldier’s Diary: Kargil, The Inside Story, when one of Captain Batra’s friends had told him to be careful since war had begun, he had replied: “Don’t worry. I will either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it."

Baweja writes that Captain Batra fulfilled both his assertions. He raised India’s victorious tricolour at a height of 17,000 feet when he captured Point 5140. Later, when he fell fighting for the country at Point 4875, his body was brought back home wrapped in our national flag.

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The words of Captain Vikram Batra continue to resonate deeply with people even today. They compel us to ask a question that appears simple, yet whose answer lies in an intricate web of patriotism, pride, duty, and an abiding sense of belonging.

The question is: what is it that fills an individual with such profound pride for the flag?

The answer, perhaps, lies in the fact that the flag is not merely a piece of cloth, nor just an insignia. In India, it embodies the memory of hard-won freedom, the sacrifices and the struggles of those countless people who earned it. That is why, when the tricolour is hoisted, and the national anthem begins to play, it evokes a deep sense of belonging. It transforms the nation from an abstract idea into a lived emotional reality.

A nation, after all,........

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