Mumbai: Hollywood’s desi girl Priyanka Chopra is facing flak on social media yet again, and this time too, the issue is her choice of wardrobe. It all started when Priyanka posted a boomerang video on Instagram, in which she can be seen swirling her tricolor dupatta around, with the caption, “Independence Day #Vibes 🇮🇳#MyHeartBelongsToIndia #happyindependencedayindia #jaihind.” Now, trollers are fretting over the fact that why did the Baywatch actor choose to don a western outfit instead of a traditional saree for the occasion of Independence Day.
Her Instagram followers have accused her of disrespecting the flag and the nation. They even went to the limit of asking her not to come back to India.
“Please don’t return to India again,” said one user. Another one commented, “Don’t you have a salwar-kameez for this occasion?” “How about a sari,” said another, “At least on this auspicious day, you were expected in a sari.” While Priyanka is currently homeward-bound, looks like some supportive fans have taken it themselves to fight back for her.
Users have put up long notes like, “I am an Indian , I can wear whatever I want as well as Priyanka you are not anybody’s mother or father to judge, what to wear and what not to wear,it’s her life she Buy’s her own clothes she didn’t ask from you.” Another fan also came to Priyanka’s rescue and wrote, “Guys commenting negative comments: are you out of your mind? It’s a tricolour stole/dupatta. People all over India wear this combination on 15th August. This ain’t no flag. So when people win matches and wrap the flag around their body and run, that isn’t insult? Think before you talk.”
Priyanka was earlier trolled for wearing a knee-length dress while meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin, Germany.
Here’s a primer on what ‘insulting the flag’ really means
Now back to what actual disrespect to the flag constitutes and there are quite a few. Flag Code of India is clear about dos and don’ts. Did you know that hoisting a flag that is not made from khadi or hand-spun material could land you in jail for three years? How many times have you bought one made from nylon, chiffon or satin from the traffic signal? Best not confess it now.
If you somehow did manage to find a khadi flag, figuring out the right way to hoist it is also a strict process. The flag under no circumstance can be hoisted upside down- i.e. green color on top. Even when the flag is hoisted by rotating it 90 degrees, the saffron part should be on the left. The saffron should always come first, like the first part you read in a book- top to bottom, left to right.
If your car has a tricolor attached to it on the bumper or near the headlight, you are again disrespecting the flag. The right to use the tricolor on cars is restricted to the Prime Minister, The President, The Vice President The Chief Justice, governors and lieutenant governors of states, Chief Ministers, chief justice and justice of high court of states, union ministers, members of the Parliament and state legislatures of the Indian states and flag officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Even if you are one of these, there are more rules on how to hoist the flag the proper way.
The flag must not hold anything in it other than flower petals and can be hoisted at night only if it is on a very tall flagpole and well-lit.
India’s second President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan said of the symbolism of the Tricolor:
Bhagwa or the Saffron denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green shows our relation to (the) soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends. The “Ashoka Chakra” in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principle of those who work under this flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward.
Change. Something many of these vicious commenter’s hate and will do anything to avoid.
When their arguments for chastising an actor for disrespecting the flag seem to fail, they expressed distress over how she didn’t dress more modestly. Why did she not wear salwar kameez for the occasion? Why not a saree?
Because, when all else fails, slut-shaming a woman is always an option. A woman who is a de facto international star and extremely successful in her chosen field.
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