Exhibition On The Indian National Flag: "FLAGS - Short hand of history"

The exhibition titled "FLAGS - Short hand of history" was a grand success. There were many visitors thronged the gallery almost all day long. On popular demand the closing date of the exhibition was extended up to 24th August. Local news papers and TV channels also covered the events. Many visitors mentioned that this type of exhibition should be taken to all other cities of India so that general people may get the opportunity to know the history of the National Flag more intimately.

Here are some photos of the exhibition posted at random for those who could not make it during the exhibition at Kolkata

  Mrs Gauri Basu, the Programme Co-ordinator briefing the guests before the inauguration 

 Chief Guest Mr Jayanta Sengupta, Curator, Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata and Mrs.(Prof) Bharati Roy, Guest of Honour, former vice-president of ICCR proceeding to the Dias.

 

 Mrs Rajashree Behara, Regional Director, Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Kolkata (Ministry of External Affairs, Govt, of India) presenting flower bouquet.

 

  Mr Jayanta Sengupta delivers the key note address.

 Prof Bharati Roy delivers her speech

 Sekhar Chakrabarti talks about his exhibits

 Mrs Rajashree Behera delivering her speech

 A section of the audience.

Ceremonial lighting before inauguration

 

 
The exhibition begins 

At the reception

The Times of India, Kolkata Xtra! Saturday, August 9, 2014

The Telegraph, Calcutta, Sunday 17 August 2014

EXHIBITION ON THE INDIAN NATIONAL FLAG

On the eve of India’s 68^th Independence Day on 14^th August 2014, the Rabindranath Tagore Centre-Kolkata, the cultural flagship of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India will host a unique exhibition on Indian National Flag commemorating the 68^th anniversary of its adoption. 

 The exhibition will showcase a surprising rich collections of the Indian National Flag symbols on visual objects - sourced from – a plethora of materials, namely, postage stamps, news-paper clippings, books and various other myriad articles and even unconventional sources like match box labels, propaganda leaflets, 78RPM gramophone records, et al, have been pieced together to reconstruct the history of ‘Flags of India’ right from the Vedic periods. Perhaps, the collections itself is only one in kind in our country at the moment. The exhibition explores and celebrates the rich and colourful history of the Indian National Flag and the process by which the National Flag in its present form was born on 22^nd July 1947, its uses and abuses, etiquette and protocols, etc.

Flags are ‘short hand of history’.

It will be also a tribute to the heroes of our freedom struggle, who fell for the cause of the flag during various phases of our freedom movements. Going through the exhibition one will find, many, unknown, or, ‘little known’  or forgotten ‘flag events’ -  which were once pivotal in drawing volunteers - young and old, men and women -  to free our country from the foreign rulers – The Dutch, British, French and the Portuguese. There will be dedicated sections on each of them and the impacts they had on our societies since the ‘Age of discovery’.

 The brochure

The Venue:  Rabindranath Tagore Centre, 9A, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata 700071

The Gallery: Abanindranath Gallery