India Independence Day

August 15 is India's Independence Day. Flags were waving on several buildings although not as many as one would see in the United States on its Independence Day. I heard a comment that Indians are not allowed to fly their country's flag except on Independence Day and one other day later in the year. I don't know if that's true but it may explain why there were not more flags flying - they cannot be used except for a couple of times a year so why own one.

Amercians in country received word from the American Consulate to stay away from public places to avoid crowds and more specifically, any terrorist activity. Several of us went shopping anyway and did not have any problems. In fact, there were no reports of terroristic activity anyway in the country. But it always good to be aware of your surroundings and don't do anything careless.

Many people were wearing little plastic flags on their person. I bought a dashboard flag set at a stop in an intersection. It cost 10 rupees - about 25 cents American. I will probably put it on my desk at work.

It had rained the night before so the sky was clear, humidity felt relatively low, it wasn't too hot, and there was a slight breeze when we were walking downtown. This was the first time I had walked through downtown. Usually we are driven right to our destination. I enjoyed being "with the people".

Anyway, an uneventful but beautiful day in India.