"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.

Dr. Triguna Sen, National Council of Education and Jadavpur University.

I dedicate today's post to Dr. Triguna Sen who encouraged me in perusing my hobby of stamp collecting during my school days when I used to visit him quite often to browse through his incoming foreign mails and take out the stamps from the covers whatever used to catch my fancy. Alas, at that time I was not educated enough not to peel off stamps from important postal covers.
FDC autographed by Somnath Chattopadhyay, former speaker of Lok Sabha (Parliament), Prof Debi Prasad Chattopadhyay, President, The National Council of Education and Sekhar Dutt, Governor of Chhattisgarh.

 The font cover of the invitation card for the 'Stamp Release Ceremony'.

Inside cover of the invitation card. It shows the Aurobindo Building of  J.U. and a familiar picture of Dr. Sen, its first Vice-Chancellor. 

The text of the invitation Card

 The se-tenant Stamps on Dr. Triguna Sen and The National Council of Education were formally released by Sri Somnath Chattopadhyay at the Indramati Sabhagriha of the Council at Jadavpur.

  Jadavpur College - an early delivery post mark (4 August 1950). The Post Office was renamed Jadavpur University in 1956.

The cover was canceled at the Jadavpur Unversity Post Office

on 24 Dec. 2010, the day of the stamp release. Coincidentally, the annual convocation of Jadavpur University is also held every year on 24th December, the birthday of Dr. Triguna Sen .
The National Council of Education (NCE) came into being during 1905-06 Swadeshi Movements. In 1910 the Society for the Promotion of Technical Education in Bengal which looked after Bengal Technical Institute (which later became College of Engineering and Technology, Bengal) was amalgamated to National Council of Education.
Calcutta Corporation under the guidance of its Mayor Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das leased out to N.C.E. the present site of Jadavpur Campus where its Engineering College was shifted in 1924. The Aurobindo Building, now housing the admin1istrative offices, used to be the venue of teaching of the Engineering College.(http://www.jaduniv.edu.in/index.php).

 Dr. Triguna Sen was born on 24 December 1905 at Solhet (now part of Bangladesh). Dr. Sen was a multifaceted personality. An eminent educationist, ardent freedom fighter, able administrator and a very conscientious parliamentarian.  He was highly committed to the cause of imparting quality education in diverse disciplines, especially in science and technology. Dr. Sen was instrumental in establishing Jadavpur University at Kolkata on 24th December, 1955. In his capacity, first as the Rector and later as the first Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University. He was also associated with many other institutions of eminence, prominent among them being the Banaras Hindu University, where he was the Vice-Chancellor for a short duration, and the Institution of Engineers (India), where he remained for two years as its President.  He was elected President Alumni Association of National Council of Education Bengal, Jadavpur University.  

         The prestigious national honour of ‘Padma Bhushan’ was conferred on Dr. Triguna Sen in 1965 He was also Union Minister for education and later, as the Union Minister in-charge of Petroleum, Chemicals and Minerals for brief spell during late 1960s and early 70s.  Dr. Sen passed away on 11^th January 1998.

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Bangladesh Victory Day, 16 December

Bangladesh celebrates “December 16”  as “Victory Day” (Bijôe Dibôsh) is a national holiday. On this day in 1971, the Pakistani Army surrendered to the Indo-Bangladeshi High Command in Dhaka, ending the 9 month-long Bangladesh Liberation War and 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. Lt. General A.A.K. Niazi, Commanding Officer of the Pakistan Armed Forces of the then East Pakistan, surrendered his forces to Lt. Gen J. Singh Arora, Commander of the Allied Forces.
AIR newscaster, Surojit Sen, with mike at right.  Vice Admiral Krishnan, Air Marshal Dewan, Lt. Gen Sagat Singh, Maj Gen J.F.R. Jacob (with Flt Lt Krishnamurthy peering over his shoulder). Others: Vice-Admiral Mohd Shariff, Commander of the Pak Eastern Naval Command and Air Vice-Marshal Patrick D. Callaghan of the Pak Air Force's Eastern Air Force Command, signed the agreement. For Bangladesh, Air Comdr A. K. Khandker acted as witness to the surrender. Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh, Commander of the Indian IV Corps, Air Marshal H.C.Dewan, Commander of Indian Eastern Air Command, Maj.Gen. Rafael Jacob, Chief of Staff of the Indian Eastern Command, acted as witnesses on behalf of India. Lt. Gen. Aurora accepted the surrender without a word
The Instrument of Surrender was signed at Ramna Race Course in Dhaka on December 16, 1971, by Lt General J. S. Arora, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Eastern Command of the Indian Army and Lt. General A.A.K. Niazi, Commander of Pakistani Forces, as the formal act of surrender of all Pakistani Forces. Also present during the ceremony were Lt. General J.F.R. Jacob, Chief of Staff of the Eastern Command and architect of the plan for the capture of Bangladesh.
Issue Date: 29-07-1971

Designer: Biman Mallik

Printer: Format International Printing Press, U.K.

The  flag of Bangladesh  used during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. 

 The map was later deleted in 1972 from the flag. The red disc represents the sun rising over the golden Bengal (Soner Bangla), and also the blood of those who died for the independence of Bangladesh. The green field stands for the lushness of the land of Bangladesh.

  Indian stamp issued on 10 April 1973, in commemoration of the inauguration of the first Parliament on 26-3-1971, gave itself a constitution on 16 December 1972. The stamp shows its National Flag with the Shapla - the National Flower of Bangladesh.

 Note the typical perforation shift only at the left bottom corner

India also commemorates victory over Pakistan on the same day in 1971 as Vijay Divas on 16 December.

Amar Shonar Bangla (My Golden Bengal) - the National Anthem of Bangladesh was written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905.

FLAGS in National Anthems and Patriotic Songs, Part- VIII

For last few couple of posts I endeavour to present the "Anthems and Patriotic Songs featured in postage stamps" with brief notes mostly from my collection built up over the years with my little wherewithal s. Readers will appreciate that to present an exhaustive list of philatelic items featuring 'Flags in National Anthems and Patriotic Songs' is next to impossible and perhaps, can never be completed. I, therefore, welcome my readers to contribute in this Post for omissions, as well as, to bring forward any new findings for the sake of academic interest of all concerned.

Tunisia 
Humat Al Hima"(L’Hymne National Tunisien) is the national anthem of Tunisia since November 1987.The text was written by Mostafa Saadeq Al-Rafe’ie. The music was composed by Mohammed Abdelwahab.

The song proclaims: “The banner of war in the north we have raised, by oath we to ransom our land all our bound”. The verse three continues  “The flag, as it waves in the sky, now salute, with honour and glory and great victory”.

Turkey

“The March of Independence” (Istikal Marsi) was adopted as National Anthem in 1921 and its words were written by Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873-1936) and its music was originally composed by Ali Rifat Çağatay's, but the same  was replaced in 1930 by a symphonic arrangement written by Zeki Üngör (1880-1958), conductor of the Presidential Symphonic Orchestra, with a new harmonization supplied by the Turkish-Armenian composer Edgar Manas.

               Fear not and be not dismayed                                                    This crimson flag will never fade                                                     It is the last hearth that’s burning                                                For my nation and we know for sure                                                     That it will never fail.                                                                       It is my nation’s star that ever forth  will shine.                               It is my nation’s star and it is mine.

Frown not, fair crescent, for I                                                     Am ready e’en to die for thee                                                   Smile now upon my heroic nation, leave this anger.                   Lest the bloodshed for thee unblessed be.                              Freedom’s the right of this my nation,                                  Yes, freedom for us who worship God and seek what’s right.

Turkmenistan

 Turkmen, the national Anthem of Independent Neutral Turkmenistan. The lyrics were written by Saparmurat Niyazov,  the first president of Turkmenistan. 

The anthem has the following wordings:

I am ready to give life for native hearth
The spirit of ancestors descendants are famous for
My land is sacred. My flag flies in the world
A symbol of the great neutral country flies.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The National Anthem of the UAE is Ishy Bilady (Long Live my Nation), was officially adopted in 1971. The anthem was composed by Saad Abdel Wahab, who also composed the national anthems of  Libya. The lyrics to the anthem, adopted in 1996, were written by Arif Al Sheikh Abdullah Al Hassan.

  The safety has lasted and the flag has lived oh our Emirates       The symbol of Arabism                                                      We all sacrifice for you, we supply you with our blood              We sacrifice for you with our souls oh homeland

United States of America (USA)

The verses one through four of "The Star Spangled Banner" refer to the national flag of the US fondly called "The Old Glory" refer to the US flag with 15 stars & 15 stripes (1795-1818) that withstood enemy bombardment at Fort McHenry, Maryland, September 13/14, 1814, and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner."

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the US Navy in 1889 and the President in 1916, and was made the national anthem  in 1931.

  O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
 

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

50th anniversary of the adoption of US National Anthem

 The "Star-spangled Banner", was composed on board HMS MINDEN in 1814 by Francis Scott Key in Baltimore harbour when he was a prisoner of the British on board HMS Minden, an Indian teakwood man-of-war was happened to be the first ship to be launched in 1810 from Duncan Dock of Naval Dockyard, Bombay. This was also the first ship commissioned in the Royal Navy from India.HMS Minden was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 June 1810. She was named after the German town Minden and the Battle of Minden of 1759, a decisive victory of British and Prussian forces over France in the Seven Years' War.

Vietnam

Tiến Quân Ca (Forward, Soldiers) is the National anthem of Vietnam. It was written and composed by Van Cao in 1944, and was adopted in 1945. 
  The first verse states:
“Our flag, red with the blood of victory, bears the spirit of the country…” The second verse goes on: “The gold star of our flag in the wind, leading our people, our mother land, out of misery and suffering”.