Indian tri-colour flag disrespected in official song of 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Screenshot of the sequence in the video of the Commonwealth Gamse song where the Indian flag is showcased upside down

India as a country has been striving for decades now to improve its international image. The country’s officials, celebrities and ordinary citizens have striven tirelessly for outsiders to give the country the respect it deserves. For some reason, however, the efforts don’t seem to be paying off.

Just a day after reports emerged that Delhi may have been unfairly criticized for the facilities it put up while hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010, another incident has surfaced that will rankle even more amongst the people of India. The Indian tri-colour flag has been showcased upside down in the video of the official song of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The song, titled ‘Let the Games begin’, shows the flags of all the countries participating in the Games, but fails to maintain the required decorum when the camera pans to the Indian flag. The song is also the Glasgow Children’s 2014 Anthem for UNICEF, which makes the blunder even more severe.

The act of ‘intentionally displaying the Indian National Flag with the “saffron” down’ amounts to disrepecting the Indian national flag as per the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and is punishable with a bailable jail term. The act, however, does not apply to people from countries other than India, and it is unlikely that the government will be able to take any legal action against the Commonwealth Games organizers for this offense.

It is clear, however, that India has a long way to go before it is taken seriously by other countries. Will the country’s officials take this up with the Commonwealth organizers and demand an apology?

Here is the video of the song, with the upside down Indian tri-colour flag visible at the 2:40 mark.