"Flag Costumes & Bikinis" - Flagging Spirit or Flagging Down Sacred Symbols ?

"Our problem is we take ourselves too seriously. Not only does our dispensation impose patriotism, it defines, redefines and dos-and-don'ts it too. Now it is illegal for the common Indian to fly the Tricolour atop his roof, now it's not...... Now you get sued for wearing the National Flag at a fashion show, now you can wear it as long as it's not below the waist (belt)....."  writes Viny Mishra, The Times of India (August 27,2005).

 During 1960-70s, it was compulsory to play the National Anthem Flag Film, now it's not.

"Festival of USSR" - an old Russian Picture Postcard (PPC), no fuss was made then about the positioning of the Indian National Flag along with several other national flags painted (below the waist) on the gown of the woman

Indian Flag Code (Don'ts) stipulates "No Flag below the belt".

There was a huge furors in India some couple of years back when an Indian television anchor covering the World Cup Cricket final match appeared on the screen donned a sari featuring the flags of the participating countries in which the Indian Tricolour was placed in an offending position.  

Predecessors of the bikini date toantiquity, in Çatalhöyük and the Greco-Roman world.  Art dating from the Diocletian period (286–305 AD) in Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily depicts women in skimpy garments resembling bikinis in mosaics on the floor. The images of ten women, dubbed the "Bikini Girls", exercising in clothing that would pass as bikinis today are the most replicated mosaic among the 37 million colored tiles at the site (source; Wikipedia)

Gilded statue of Roman Goddess Venus found in Pompeii, currently in the Museo Archeologico in Naples.(wikipedia)

Micheline Bernardini wearing the first modern bikini, 1946. which caused a sensation at a beauty contest at the Molitor swimming pool in Paris. Designer Louis Reard was unable to find a 'respectable' model for his costume and the job of displaying it went to 19-year-old Micheline Bernardini, a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris. She is holding a small box into which the entire costume can be packed. Celebrated as the first modern bikini. (wikipedia)

It is strange to see the British-India blue ensign (?) in the poster in place of Free India's Tricolour - the orange-white-green.Third row from the top at extreme left. India were invited in 1950 Jules Rimet Cup (World Cup) Football Tournament, but did not participate, due to inadequate foreign exchange reserves, the long journey by ship and the problem of bare-footed players.

Uruguay, 1951

 

Japan, 2010

No Indian flag on the socks above.

 

 

Great Britain (from where most of our laws have been evolved or adapted) has no Flag Code at all and there are some people of other countries who are horrified at the familiar way with which the British treat their Flag, the Union Jack.

In the United States, one of the most commonly ignored and misunderstood aspects of the Flag Code is section 8. "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery." Section 3 of the Flag Code  defines a flag for the purposes of the code. It clarifies the definition to include any picture or representation of the flag purporting to be of the flag of the United States of America. Therefore T-shirts, or other apparel made of or containing a representation of the flag are in violation of the code.

Although the Flag Code is U.S. Federal law, it is only binding on government institutions displaying the flag: there is no penalty for a private citizen or group failing to comply with the Flag Code and it is not widely enforced—indeed, punitive enforcement would conflict with the First Amendment right to freedom of speech Flag Desecration Amendment would overrule legal precedent that has been established.

  

Mark Spitz in his Flag Speedo

(http://people.edu.ms/keyword/mark%20spitz%20poster)

Mark Andrew Spitz  (USA) won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

(http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/beachvolleyball/blogs/blog=beachvolleyballblog/postid=225231.html)
 
 

Peruvian model and dancer Leysi Suarez, in order to celebrate the 187th anniversary of Peru's independence from Spain, rode naked astride a beautiful brown horse wearing nothing but a look of stern patriotic pride - and using the Peruvian flag as a saddle. But instead of acclaim and adulation, Leysi faced political uproar and criminal charges for modelling on the provocative cover of DFarandula magazine."I haven't committed a crime!" Leysi protested. "I love Peru and show it with my body and soul!".

  

Aussie flag burnt in India over bikini controversy

10 May, 2011

Australian swimwear brand Lisa Blue has pulled bikinis bearing the image of Hindu goddess Lakshmi out of production after protesters in India burnt the Australian flags in response to the garments.

 Singapore Polo Team's Trunks "Inappropriate" !!!!!!!! 

Singapore rebuked its national water polo team for wearing swim trunks that feature a likeness of the city-state's flag. 

The trunks, which were designed by members of the men's team in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, show the flag's white crescent moon jutting up from the groin area with five stars to the side on a red background.

"Unfortunately the team did not seek our advice on the use of the crescent moon and stars when they designed their swim trunks," the Information Ministry said in a statement. "We would have told them that their design is inappropriate as we want elements of the flag to be treated with dignity."

The ministry, which normally evaluates the use of the flag on uniforms on a case-by-case basis, declined to specify which part of the design was objectionable.

The trunks sparked a controversy in the local media and on Internet message boards, with some offended by the use of the national flag while others were amused at the furor.

Source: http://pul.se/Singapore-Polo-Teams-Trunks-Inappropriate_News-ba2xjvhNKIR,9yCL9hNSqEaE

At the F(L)AG End let's see what more is stored for us !!! 

Nine Australians jailed in Malaysia for 'flag underpants' stunt. http://www.smh.com.au/world/nine-australians-jailed-in-malaysia-for-flag-underpants-stunt-20161003-grtziu.html

 Nine Australian revelers at Malaysia's Formula One racing circuit have been jailed after stripping down to reveal "underpants" featuring Malaysia's national flag.

 

The first look of the poster of the Hindi movie ‘Dirty Politics’ made it to the news in 2015. It showed the actress sitting on top of a government car against the backdrop of the Rajasthan State Legislative Assembly wearing nothing but a drapery imitating the tricolours of the Indian NF.

'Dirty Politics' - a movie allegedly based on the Bhanwari Devi murder and rape case in which a former Congress Minister was convicted. High Courts in Hyderabad and Patna issued notices to the actress and the film’s producer on PILs against the obscene use of the Indian Tricolour. It was alleged that they had intentionally insulted the National flag.

National Flag - Etiquette and Protocols; Wrong depictions of Indian Tricolour

FLAG ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOLS 

One way of showing respect to a ‘National Flag’ is to reproduce the flag correctly. Embarrassing incidents may occur, if obsolete or wrongly depicted flags are displayed.

   

At least three flags Tanzania, Mexico and India have been shown 'wrong-way up' in this Greek Stamp issued in 1989. Correct illustrations can be seen in the stamps issued by the respective countries.( The top right Indian flag stamp has the constant printing error "Tear drop blot" just above 7 of the date 1947).

 It is important that the flag is the “right way up”, there is no greater insult flying a National flag “up-side down”, as well as, being a mark of ignorance. 

 

   

 Recently on June 26, 2010 at Islamabad, a diplomatic faux paus by Pakistani hosts resulted in the Indian national flag displayed upside down caused a flutter during Indian home minister P. Chidambaram's meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik.

(Source; Wikipedia) 

   In 2005, Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf, while visiting India had Indian flag upside down flag displayed on his airplane.

 

 

  At home, Indian bureaucrats and politicians also proved many a times that they are also no better wiser.

“Flag Code of India-2002” promulgated by the Ministry of Home Affairs stipulates “Dos and Don’ts” for the display / hoisting / uses of National Flag of India.

The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act- 1950 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act-1971 prescribe the penalties for violation of the acts. 

 Wrong depictions of Asoka Chakra “12 spokes” in place of stipulated “24 spokes” of the Asoka Chakra.

 

SPECIFICATION FOR THE NATIONAL FLAG OF INDIA (COTTON KHADI ) IS : 1 - 1968.  (second revision) published on 17 August 1968, prescribes the design, constructional details and other particulars of the National flag of India. The colours of the flag, that is, India Saffron (Kesari), India Green and Navy Blue, shall correspond to the colours in the sealed standard flag held in the custody of the Chief Inspector, Chief Inspectorate of Textiles & Clothing, Kanpur. Spectrophotometric values of the colours in the flag presented to the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947 were measured by the then Technical Development Establishment Laboratory (Stores), Kanpur.

 Readers may recall (vide;  http://flagstamps.blogspot.com/2010/06/flag-day-flags-on-stamps-facts-file.html ) that even an inconspicuous 'error' that had cropped-up in the design of Union Jack on a Jamaican stamp was corrected by the concerned authority immediately the error was noticed.

 Until very recent past, it was generally believed that the US "Bunker Hill" flag had "Blue field" but now evidence reveals that the Flag had "Red field".