SET against the backdrop of a small town, “Flag Hoisting in Chinnoor” depicts the crumbling of the grand dream in post-Independence India. The sure march of degeneration in Indian politics trampling over idealism is portrayed with deep sadness and anguish. The almost invisible humour and irony manifest themselves more outside the story than within it. The absurdity and the incongruity of playing a song popular in the First World War with British soldiers on our Independence Day are not lost on the reader. The attendant chaos and mad scramble that mark any of our functions are also entirely typical and credible.
This was a delicate story, where the subtext was as important as what was said.
Even a slight shift in tone posed the danger of the story collapsing. It had to be tackled tactfully and gingerly. It was also a story which beautifully captured the time in which it was set—you can almost picture the ceremony vividly. The challenge was to make it come alive for the reader.
Dilip Kumar and Subashree Krishnaswamy
