An Indian student choosing to unfurl the Karnataka state flag during his convocation at the City University of London has caused an uproar on the internet. Adish R Wali, an MS Management graduate from the university, posted a video of himself receiving the degree and mentioned, “I graduated with MS in Management from City University of London - Bayes Business School (Cass). A moment of pride as I unfurled our Karnataka state flag during the ceremony in London, UK.”
In the clip, the student can be seen getting on the stage and striking the Shah Rukh Khan signature pose after his name is called out. He walks towards the centre of the stage, pulls the Karnataka flag from his pocket, and waves it. One can also hear the cheer in the background. He then goes on to collect his degree, holding the flag in his hand.
Watch the video below:
I graduated with MS in Management from City University of London - Bayes Business School (Cass). A moment of pride as I unfurled our Karnataka state flag during the ceremony in London, UK.- ARW #ARW #karnataka #bidar #kannada #kannadiga #london #uk #England @bidarupdates pic.twitter.com/Hofb01W0WX— Adhish R. Wali (@AdhishWali) January 21, 2023
The video garnered over 2.5 lakh views since being posted online. The video that took the internet by storm has left social media users divided. Some congratulated Adish on his graduation and praised him for his devotion to his homeland, while others were opposed to displaying regional identities at a foreign forum.
A user was not sure about the use of a state flag over the Indian tricolour.
Humein to INDIA ka flag pata hai .. Karnataka ka bhi flag hai kya …. Sorry buddy u did your MS .. congratulations.. but some things cannot be taught.. they must come from the heart.. degrees do not confer wisdom— (@Mini_Tripathii) January 22, 2023
“Oh, it’s that time of the month where insecure people who have nothing to be proud of or have a secondary identity besides their caste (which is bad) and religion rage about ethnolinguistic identities," read a reply
Oh it’s that time of the month where insecure people who have nothing to be proud of or have a secondary identity besides their caste (which is bad) and religion rage about ethnolinguistic identities. https://t.co/MYutEgF92I— KannadaGothilla (@KannadaGotilla) January 22, 2023
Another user went on in support by saying, “Congrats! Appreciate your love for our Kannada flag”.
Congrats! Appreciate your love for our #Kannada flag.— ವೀಹ (@VHalamani) January 21, 2023
This user tweeted a pic of the Tricolour and the Karnataka state flag with the caption, “Prefer both.”
I prefer both pic.twitter.com/XBupDNBfDu— Drogon-The Dragon (@DrogonDaDragon3) January 22, 2023
In December last year, a student was attacked in Belagavi for allegedly hoisting the Karnataka flag during a college event. The boy was seen with the Karnataka flag while everyone danced to the music inside the college premises. A few students thrashed him right away after he took out the flag.
A 2nd PUC student beaten up for holding #KarnatakaFlag at #Gogte college #Belagavi during inter college fest yesterday. He was beaten up by his classmates for holding the flag. Cops inform the students support #Maharashtra. Hence, they were upset. Cops are inquiring the matter. pic.twitter.com/p5VisPG3Q6— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) December 1, 2022
The video went viral on the internet, prompting many pro-Kannada organisations to demand an investigation. This incident took place at the Gogte college in Belagavi.
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