The Flag Holds Its Own Story

Representing India In China · Special Story

A ₹180 Indian flag, a ₹2,500 cab ride and a race against time to carry India to China

An Indian flag may look like a simple piece of cloth.

But sometimes, it carries an entire story.

For G. Anumitha, Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar and G. Siva Narayana, the Indian flag that eventually appeared with them in China had its own journey before reaching Sanya.

The Flag That Was Forgotten

G. Siva Narayana had accompanied G. Anumitha to many championships before and usually carried an Indian flag with him.

But this journey was different.

Following his unexpected accident, surgery and the uncertainty surrounding their travel plans, G. Siva Narayana had forgotten to carry the flag.

G. Siva Narayana had already reached China by the time Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar restarted his journey from Hyderabad.

While Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar was travelling towards the airport, G. Siva Narayana informed him that the flag had not been brought.

For Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar, this came as a shock.

After everything they had gone through to reach China, arriving at the World Championship without the Indian flag did not feel right.

Finding A Flag

There was no obvious place to buy an Indian flag at the airport.

There was no time to search for one in Delhi.

And there was certainly no certainty of finding one in Bangkok or China.

So Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar immediately contacted a stationery shop he knew and asked them to arrange an Indian flag.

The shop was around 40 kilometres from the airport, a journey that would normally take at least 1.5 hours.

A cab was arranged to bring the flag to the airport.

But there was another problem.

The estimated time of the cab's arrival was almost the same as Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar's boarding time.

There was no time to waste.

A Race Against The Clock

Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar explained the situation to the airline manager and asked whether the flag could be collected from the cab and passed on to him after he had gone ahead for boarding.

The airline manager politely explained that this was not permitted.

But after hearing the whole story, the manager did everything possible to help. Every formality that could be completed in advance was completed, so that not a single minute would be lost once the flag arrived.

Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar waited at the terminal entrance, watching the road.

The clock was ticking.

The cab was still on its way.

The Flag Arrives

With only minutes remaining, the cab finally pulled up at the airport.

Dr. P. Srinivas Kumar rushed to the vehicle, grabbed the flag and ran back inside.

Security. Gate. Boarding.

Each step was a race against the clock.

And then he was on board.

The flag was with him.

The journey to Sanya could continue.

More Than A Flag

The flag itself cost approximately ₹180.

But getting it to the airport required a ₹2,500 cab journey.

So the ₹180 flag ended up costing ₹2,680 to reach the airport.

But its value to the team was never about the price.

After everything they had gone through to reach China, the Indian flag represented the very reason they were there — to represent India.

A small flag had travelled through an unexpected journey of its own before finally reaching Sanya.

And soon, it would be in the hands of the Indian team at the World Memory Championships.