Every year around the Independence Day, the sales of Indian national flag rises by a great deal. A number of vehicles put up the flag to show their patriotism towards the nation. However, most of these flags are made up of plastic and after the Independence Day, people throw away such flags creating a huge pile of garbage. Bajaj has tried to raise the issue with a campaign with the Bajaj Avenger.
The advertisement shows the rider on the Bajaj Avenger on the hilly roads on India and after he stops for a traffic signal, a flag seller comes to put up a flag on his bike. The rider takes off the flag and gives it back to the seller. Later, the video shows a hawker selling flags to the school children travelling in a bus. Later, the rider can be seen cleaning an area that is filled with the plastic flags in the mountains. The whole video has the patriotic song “Saare Jahan se acha, Hindustan humara” in the background.
It is a true incident that occurs every year in India. Tonnes of plastic waste is generated because of such plastic flags that can be seen on almost all the traffic signals. Most car owners use the flag on their vehicles to get a sense of patriotism but then throw it away after the Independence Day gets over. The plastic can be extremely harmful to the environment if not properly disposed of.
To overcome this problem, people can use cloth flags. Yes, they are expensive but they can be re-used for a few years. To stop the widespread popularity of such plastic flags, one should stop buying them completely. Once the demand stops, the supply will take a hit for sure. Also, the government should take steps to curb the plastic flags in India to bring down the amount of waste.
Bajaj Avenger has been using the tagline “Feel Like God” and the video comes to an end after showing the tagline. It sure feels good to do something good for the environment and protect it from such celebrations.