Last month, after the Flag Code of India 2002 was amended to allow the National Flag to be displayed in the open or displayed at the house of a member of the public day and night, it has been continuously flying on top of the Suranas’ home. Needless to say, on occasions of national mourning, it flies half-mast.
In 2009, when their European-styled, four-storey building was completed and commissioned for the house and law offices of Surana and Surana International Attorneys, the family decided to fly the Indian National Flag on top of the terrace of the building overlooking Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore.
The building houses PS Surana, his wife Leelavathi, son Vinod Surana, daughter-in-law Rashmi, all of them lawyers, and their two children Keerti and Dev Kartik, both studying Law. “Prior to moving here, we were displaying the flag on our table top. In 2009, we moved it to the roof top,” says Vinod.
Earlier, there were restrictions on the non-official usage of the flag, which changed in 2004 when Naveen Jindal, MP, filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reasoned that the right to fly the flag can be considered as an expression of an individual’s allegiance and pride for their nation.
Following this decision, the Suranas were hoisting the National Flag everyday (and lowering it every evening). Now, they keep the flag flying 24 hours, daily. “Earlier, every day, one of our family members would do the honours, hoisting the flag at 9 am and lowering it at 6 pm everyday. Mostly, it would be either of the children and only in their absence, one of the elders would step in. We always keep a spare flag in case the one flying has to be replaced due to any damage,” says Rashmi.
Says Surana, Founder-Partner of the law firm, “We are open-minded nationalists with patriotism in our blood... Flying the national flag gives me personally and all our family members and colleagues in the office, a sense of pride and respect for our country.”
“Till date we have always bought the flag from Khadi Kraft. We change the flag every two months. The old flags are disposed off according to the guidelines specified in the Flag Code,” informs Vinod.
An ISO-certified household
The Surana residence has long been popular as the only one in the country to have been certified ISO 9001:2008 and renewed with ISO 9001:2015. The process is a diligent one that demands constant documentation, and audit visits.
Surana is designated the ‘household head’, Leelavathi is the ‘household representative’, Rashmi is ‘management representative’, while the two children and Vinod are ‘permanent customers’. Guests or ‘temporary customers’ are handed a customer feedback form after a cup of tea. Industrialists, judges, celebrities and heads of State have attested to the quality of hospitality.
Their kitchen has every bottle and container appropriately labelled. Sourcing of ingredients and vegetables are only from ‘vendor-approved’ stores. Menus are prepared months in advance, food is served as per set schedules. Even when the family travels on holiday, checklists drive the process of packing and travel itinerary management. All these are properly documented for submission to the ISO auditors.
Vinod says that his father is a firm believer in ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ An audit check from a certifying organisation is done every six months. Says Vinod, “It can be nerve-wracking with everyone being interviewed separately – including the household staff, the management and even the children – to check for quality control.”
