R ARIVANANTHAM
COIMBATORE, AUG 14
Can a Tiranga bring down the walls of language, region and stereotype—and remind us that India is not North or South, but one shared home? On the eve of Independence Day, Jain women observing the Varshitap fast in Coimbatore offered a stirring answer: Yes—if patriotism begins with respecting every Indian identity.
At Navkar Bhavan on R.G. Street, the women transformed the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign into a celebration of national unity, with music, patriotic slogans and a message that resonated far beyond the venue: a North Indian woman married to a South Indian man is not crossing a cultural divide—she is living the idea of India.
- Coimbatore’s Jain women turn ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ into a heartfelt North-South unity anthem
- North Indian women married to South Indians celebrate shared families, shared traditions and one Indian identity
- ‘We are all Indians first’: Women reject regional stereotypes and condemn attempts to insult South Indians
- From lungi to veshti, India’s diverse traditions deserve respect—not ridicule, say the women
- ‘Live and Let Live’ echoes through Coimbatore as patriotic slogans unite communities under the Tiranga
The Ministry of Culture has described ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ as an emotional movement aimed at uniting Indians under the colours of the National Flag and celebrating “unity in diversity.”
North meets South—and finds a home under one Tiranga
The programme began with ‘Vande Mataram’, followed by a welcome by Varshitap practitioner Sonal Jain. Santosh Bafna conducted the proceedings, while Sheetal Ranka proposed the vote of thanks. Varshitap practitioners, including Pooja Jain, Latha Kothari, Manju Golecha and Anita Surana joined the celebration, which concluded with the National Anthem.
But the most powerful message came from the women themselves.
Many proudly spoke of their identity as Indians and of being the better halves of South Indian husbands, embracing the languages, food, traditions and lifestyles of their families in the South.
Their message was unmistakable: marriage does not divide India—it can bring India’s regions closer.
For a North Indian woman who has made a South Indian family her own, the lungi or veshti is not a punchline, Tamil is not a barrier and South Indian traditions are not something to be mocked. They are threads in the same national fabric.
‘Lungi’ is not an insult—it is a cultural identity
Media coordinator of the JSIN community Kishoreyoga Jain said the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign gained momentum in the Rangai Gowder Street area as the Jain women offered a distinctive expression of patriotism.
The skies over Coimbatore’s bustling market area echoed with patriotic slogans and the timeless Jain philosophy of “Live and Let Live.”
The women also condemned attempts by political leaders or public figures to insult South Indians and urged Indians to reject casual stereotyping, including the practice of using “lungiwala” as a derogatory label for South Indians.
Their appeal was simple: do not reduce an entire people to their dress, language, accent or food.
A lungi or veshti is a traditional garment, just as the sari, salwar or dhoti represents diverse Indian traditions. Mocking one Indian tradition while celebrating another weakens the very unity that the Tiranga represents.
‘We are Indians first’—a message from Coimbatore
The women declared that “we are all Indians first”, sending a message particularly relevant in an India where regional identities are often celebrated but sometimes weaponised against one another.
Coimbatore, itself a meeting point of commerce, cultures and communities, provided an apt setting for that message. Tamil Nadu’s rich cultural heritage is an integral part of India’s larger civilisational mosaic, just as the traditions of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala or any other region belong to the same national story.
The Ministry of Culture’s nationwide Tiranga campaign has similarly sought to make the National Flag a symbol of collective pride and participation across regions and generations.
One Flag. Many Languages. One India
The Coimbatore celebration therefore carried a message larger than the Independence Day ritual.
A North Indian woman marrying a South Indian man is not a North-South story—it is an Indian story. A Tamil-speaking family welcoming a Hindi-speaking daughter-in-law is not assimilation—it is cultural enrichment. A lungi is not a joke. A veshti is not a stereotype. And an accent is not an invitation to ridicule.
As the women sang, raised patriotic slogans and finally stood for the National Anthem, their celebration captured the true spirit of ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’: let the Tiranga fly not merely on every house, but in every heart—where no Indian is mocked for being Indian in a different way.
