Indus Motor Company’s (IMC) one-off social initiative, the National Flag Collection Drive, now in its seventh year, has garnered much attention. A team of young volunteers from the company set off on a mission to salvage national flags strewn around Karachi on the morning following Independence Day celebrations.
The Independence Day and the days leading to it, generate quite a frenzy, with every neighbourhood across the country splashed in green and white, a painter’s delight. However, overnight, all this turns pitiful with flags which just a day earlier were fluttering high above the ground, are sadly found tattered and littered all over, on the roads, even garbage heaps or strewn on the ground, waiting to be carelessly trampled under-foot, an insult to our national pride.
As part of Toyota’s 5S philosophy, every 15th August, IMC, under its CSR banner, Concern Beyond Cars, engages its employees under its Employee Volunteering Program to help mitigate this desecration. Over 60 volunteers, clad in Toyota red t-shirts and white baseball caps sporting the crescent and star and equipped with PPEs, moved along six pre-determined separate routes across the city, collecting national flags and buntings littered around the city, later buried under the earth on Company’s premises.
IMC’s Chief Executive, Ali Asghar Jamali, expressed, “This experience is a sure patriotism booster, not just for us at IMC but the public in general too, who see our volunteers in action on the roads, salvaging our symbol of pride. This year, participation from across the company has been great, especially with the female staff joining. There are no second thoughts that every Pakistani values the kaumi parcham, but it hurts to see it on the ground, soiled, tattered and stepped upon. Of course, it’s not intentional, but we can all be more cautious and give the national flag the respect it rightfully commands.”
The entire group later converged at Clifton Beach, where the team with the biggest haul was declared the winner and awarded prizes. The activity also generated interest from the general public, who also joined in, considered it a civic duty, and appreciated IMC’s efforts.
