Mantralaya heroes all set for solemn duty by Tricolour

MUMBAI: Most Mumbaikars see Wednesday's Independence Day as a welcome holiday mid-week to rise late and relax. But five diligent Class IV employees of Mantralaya's PWD department will arrive bright and early at the secretariat terrace in time to unfurl the Tricolour at 6.22am.
These five bravehearts, whose duty is to hoist and fold the national flag daily, had continued to man their post amidst the blazing fire of June 21 when all about them were fleeing for their lives.They came down only after receiving formal orders to take down the flag before the usual sunset hour that day.
On As they did then so on Tuesday, the five-Ganesh Munj, Suresh Baria, Deepak Adsul, Premji Roz and Vishal Rane-awaited orders on the Independence Day protocol. Around 4.00pm, the team
were instructed to lower the flag to half-staff on Tuesday and on Thursday owing to the three-day statewide mourning for ex-CM Vilasrao Deshmukh. The flag, they were told, will fly as usual on August 15. "The rules governing Independence Day state that the flag must fly tall and proud this day," said PWD staffer Rajendra Kanade.
The state government had announced a grand felicitation for the five staffers but is yet to decide on a date for the function. Meanwhile, many private organizations have stepped forward to recognize their heroism. "Our men have been feted across Kolhapur, Solapur and Pandharpur, where CM Prithviraj Chavan honoured them in public," said Kanade.
On Wednesday, the team has been invited to unfurl the Tricolour at Zaveri Bazar around 10am and wind up the celebrations at a venue in Bhandup in the evening. "Of course our duty at Mantralaya takes precedence over everything," said a PWD representative.
"We are responsible for three flags in the precinct, one that flutters atop the terrace, and measures 14x21 ft, the mid-sized one (8x12 ft) that the CM hoists in the compound and another a small one ( 4x6 ft) located in the New Administration building," said a PWD representative
The 14x21 ft flag that crowns Mantralaya is perhaps the largest in the country. , said staffers at Kora Kendra, Borivli, where it is manufactured.
The hearts of those who stand vigil over it are as expansive.