New Flagpole

Can be seen for miles

Paramahamsa Maharaj has brought a large flag to erect above the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Ashram here in Lenasia.

The existing flagpole is 6 meters (18 feet) high; Paramahamsa Maharaj suggests that it should be 30 meters (100 feet) high! Premasindhu Prabhu (who is obviously very surrendered :) calls in a welder and his crew to extend the metal flagpole.

They welder advises Premasindhu Prabhu that such a high flagpole will not conform to local municipal bylaws, so as a compromise, a 15 meter (50 foot) pole is erected. When the three black laborers hoist the flagpole, they joke (in Zulu) that they will be able to see the flag from their homes in Soweto.

The flagpole is given a coat of red lead primer before it is erected; the color almost perfectly matches the terra cotta tiled roofs of the ashram. The concrete holding the flagpole will be given a couple of days to set, and Paramahamsa Maharaj says that we can have a flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday morning, an auspicious ekadasi day.