National airline Air India on Sunday distributed 30,000 handmade Indian flags to its passengers at Srinagar, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports to mark the 71st Republic Day.
The airline also put up a hoarding at Srinagar's historic Lal Chowk, congratulating the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the first Republic Day after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution.
Air India Spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar told ANI, "Today our country is celebrating Republic Day. To show our love towards our country and its people, we decided to do this gesture. We are distributing the flags at major airports. We also put up a big hoarding at Lal Chowk in Sri Nagar, which is the heart of the Valley. We wished people happy Republic Day through this gesture, which is a first in Air India's history," he said here.
"These are handmade seed flags made by Sahariya tribal artisans of Madhya Pradesh. Its paper is handmade by cotton pulp and textile waste. These flags are also laced with marigold and fenugreek seeds, which once planted will add to the greenery," he added.
People received the gesture warmly and lauded the effort made by Air India.