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Shyam Dotel

Over time, habits shift, and public traditions disappear. Things that used to feel normal can become formal and then fade away. Still some symbols stick around, outlasting governments, beliefs, and politics. Nepal’s flag is one of these. Lots of people who grew up going to school events remember it well.

On Children’s Day, Democracy Day, or when important people from other countries visited, Tundikhel and the areas close by would be full of waving flags. Students stood in lines, watched events, and just felt like they belonged, without needing anyone to tell them. Patriotism wasn’t taught; it was just a feeling. But that feeling didn’t last.

Over the years, fewer students went to these events. Showing the flag changed from something regular people did to something seen on roadside poles. The flag was still there, but people felt less connected to it. What people used to feel good about became just another sight. When the Maoist conflict was at its worst, the flag even became a political statement.

If you carried it, people might think you were suspicious. Those who did were often called royalists. During the change in government, there were even rumors that people wanted to change the flag and the national anthem. But even with all the stress and arguments, the sun and moon flag stayed. It didn’t just survive because of the law.

 It survived because people really cared about it and didn’t want to let it go. That’s why it was strange when a guy started walking around Kathmandu with a big flag over his shoulder. He walked through different parts of the city. Many people thought it was weird. Some thought he was crazy. Others thought he was trying to get cash from tourists.

Laxmi Narayan Shilpakar wasn’t after fame or fortune. He carried the flag because he truly believed in what it stood for and that it deserved respect. At first, people laughed or didn’t care. But slowly, they got curious and started talking to him and taking pictures. He did things differently. Instead of charging for photos, he gave out little flag stickers. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot. He thought respect shouldn’t be for sale. He didn’t just stay in Kathmandu.

Local groups invited him to travel around the country. He talked about the flag as something everyone shared, not a political thing. Little by little, others started doing similar things. Students going to study overseas and workers heading to other countries began wearing the flag as they said goodbye. It was emotional, but not over the top. Even so, the flag wasn’t always treated well. At the airport, people had to take off garlands, khadas, and flags to go in.

Sometimes, the flag showed up at protests, used in ways that weren’t respectful. There were even cases where criminals wore the flag while robbing people. This made it hard to know what patriotism really meant anymore. After September 9, 2025, Shilpakar put it plainly: I tried to show the flag and its value. The government should protect it. He wasn’t complaining, just reminding people. Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs made some rules about how to use and respect the flag. The plan is clear, but how it will be done is still to be figured out. If the rules are actually enforced, then one person’s quiet work could turn into something everyone believes in. A country’s identity isn’t about how often you see the flag, but how well it’s treated.

(Dotel is the president of Nepal Red Cross Society, Kathmandu District and general secretary of Editors’ Society, Nepal )