Editorial | Lights of National Pride

This visual spectacle turns ordinary spaces into radiant tributes to the nation. Government buildings, heritage buildings, bridges, and even private structures now frequently join in, bathed in saffron, white, and green. What began as a routine restricted to flag-hoisting ceremonies has become a public art of celebration. It is an indication that patriotism does not have to be limited to speeches or parades it can also radiate in light and colour, reaching each passer-by.

The symbolism is strong. Saffron is symbolized by courage and sacrifice, white by peace and truth, and green by growth and prosperity. When these colours shine on a building, they do more than add a facade of decoration they envelope the space with meaning. A court building radiating in the tricolour can remind us of justice; a school illuminated by these hues can talk of education’s contribution to the country’s growth.

Lighting up buildings is also a means of reclaiming public spaces for communal experience. In an age where our lives are increasingly lived in front of screens, experiences like these bring people out to see something together. Families assemble to take pictures, children query the flag, and strangers step back to appreciate the spectacle. It becomes a communal moment, with no speeches or slogans, but with lots of quiet pride.

The practice also has cultural and economic significance. In tourist destination areas, it brings in tourists. Pictures and videos of these illuminated facades often go far on social media, portraying an image of vibrancy and togetherness. Cities that spend money on such displays are saying something to the world: we are proud of our heritage and of our national identity. In Kashmir, for example, lighting the clock tower at Lal Chowk or government offices in tricolour light has a profound symbolic significance, indicative of shared citizenship across decades of war and separation.

Sure, some will say that it is mere window dressing a cosmetic gesture that does not really touch on underlying issues. But symbolism does matter in nation-building. Flags, anthems, and monuments fail to fix economic issues, yet they tie people to a common cause. Light has long been employed in the history of humans to motivate and bring people together. From Diwali diyas to Eid lamps and Christmas lights, light holds emotional significance. Bathing our landmarks in the flag colours falls into that tradition.

What is important is that these gestures are not hollow. They must be accompanied by actions that match the ideals the tricolour embodies. Courage, peace, and prosperity are not colours they are aspirations. The lights that burn brightly can remind us of the efforts that lie ahead: narrowing disparities, safeguarding liberties, promoting concordance. They ought to stimulate citizens to channel pride into participation, be it responsible voting, maintaining cleanliness in public areas, or participating in community service.

There is also an environmental perspective to be factored in. Contemporary light technology allows for these displays to be made using energy-conserving LED installations that use much less electricity than old-fashioned bulbs. The city should go with such installations so that the tricolour’s beauty isn’t purchased at an excessive environmental price. Moreover, these lighting arrangements can be reused for other national and cultural events, so they are a sound long-term investment.

The increase in participation of regular citizens in such shows is just as heartening. Most private organizations hotels, malls, even residential complexes have started illuminating their facades in the tricolour, many at their own cost. This spontaneous effort indicates a movement from state-sponsored celebration to citizens-sponsored demonstration of patriotism. When citizens appropriate national pride, it becomes more than an exercise it becomes a habit.

Our country is large, with innumerable cultures, languages and histories interwoven into its tapestry. All of theirs is the tricolour. As it glows on buildings across states and regions, it gives a silent but powerful message: even as we are diverse, we are held together by a common identity. In an age in which public discourse so often becomes divisive, such common symbols help us to recall that there remains more that brings us together than keeps us apart.

The lighting of a building may be only for one night, yet its memory will linger. To a child witnessing it for the first time, it can inspire questions about the flag, about the history of the country, about what independence is. To the elderly, it can remind them of previous celebrations or struggles. For everyone in between, it is the easy, happy assertion of belonging.

Ultimately, these lights are more than ornamentation they are a colour conversation. They inform us that the country’s ideals are not stored in textbooks or formal reports, but in our streets and horizons. They ask us to look up from our daily routines, if only for a moment or two, and belong to something greater.

As this Independence Day nears, the tricolour will once again illuminate structures all over the nation. Let us relish the view, but also let it signal us to take steps in ensuring that those colours remain relevant. Patriotism is not a switch that can be thrown open for a day and then left off. It needs to be nurtured in our day-to-day actions, in the way we treat one another, and in the manner we strive towards the nation’s ideals.

In the saffron, white, and green that illuminate our nights, we do not see just the flag, but the promise of a nation still in the process of creation strong, united, and full of light.