National flag to fly 100-feet-high at Kullu Dussehra

The week-long Kullu Dussehra celebrations, beginning October 22, will have a new attraction this year in a huge tricolour flying high atop a 100-feet-tall flagmast at the mela site, an official said on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar, the chief organiser of the centuries-old Kullu Dussehra, told IANS that the flag will be put up at the initiative of the state government and it will be taken down when the festival ends on October 28.

The monumental flagmast would be dedicated to the courage and valour of the soldiers who tirelessly defend the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Kanwar added.

With this, Kullu will join select 40 places in India where the tricolour has been installed atop 100-feet-tall flag masts by the Flag Foundation of India. The first such high-flying flag in the state, this will be a huge 20 feet by 30 feet in dimension, Kanwar said.

He said the tricolour would be hoisted near Dev Sadan in front of the Rath Ground. This area would in the future be developed as a multi-purpose cultural complex.

The tricolour weighs nine kg and is made from knitted Denier Polyester fabric manufactured in Mumbai. The monumental flag-cum-mast comes at a cost of Rs.14 lakh, Kanwar said.

The 'chakra' of the flag has been printed by using specialised printing process, he said.

The other attraction of the famed Kullu Dussehra is that over 13,000 artistes will perform a folk dance to highlight the message of saving the girl child -- and through this endeavour will also aim to create a world record.

The Guinness Book of World Record's office in London has given its approval to monitoring the performance of the folk dancers. This attempt would be the largest voluntary participation in an event at a point of time.

Kullu Dussehra celebrations begin on "Vijaya Dashami", the day when the festivities end in the rest of the country.