Shanti does not quite grasp the significance of Independence Day. All she knows is that around this time of the year national flags and other patriotic memorabilia are in high demand. When asked what azadi (freedom) means to her, Shanti says: “Freedom is something I have aplenty. I live on the streets and can go wherever I want. No one can stop me.”
At a road crossing, Shanti waits for the light to turn red so she can walk up to idling cars and convince some of the commuters to buy the flags.
Shanti says she buys all her products from Sadar Bazaar in north Delhi. She claims not to have any supplier and adds that she keeps the ₹100 that she charges for a Tricolour all to herself.
With her at the road crossing is her husband Shyam Raj. Shyam says he has eked out a living by begging for as long as he can remember. He has a different take on what azadi means: “For me, freedom is the ability to buy food for my family.”
The Indian flag
Down the street at the next crossing, Raj Singh is also trying his luck at selling flags to commuters waiting for the light to turn green.
He too buys his stock from Sadar Bazaar. Raj, however, seems to know exactly why he is selling the products.
“August 15 is Independence Day. People are eager to buy flags. For me, azadi is the Indian flag. I am a proud Hindustani,” says Raj.
Even though he is homeless and sometimes has to beg for a living, Raj says he is not angry at his situation and insists that he expects nothing from the government. For him, selling products on the streets is as good a job as any.
Raj sells flags made out of paper and plastic straw. He charges ₹10 for each Tricolour. He points to a group of urchins under a nearby flyover and says they are his children. All of them are sitting in a circle making the flags that Raj holds in his hands. Sometimes the children join me in selling the flags, he adds.
In a sad reflection of the lives that they have led so far, none of the children knew what azadi meant.
‘Freedom to be’
On August 8, the Delhi High Court decriminalised begging stating that the underlying reasons for the problem were not being addressed by the government.
Neither Shanti, Shyam nor Raj were aware of the landmark decision, but welcomed the news that they will no longer be harassed by the authorities.
For all three, azadi signifies the ‘freedom to be’.