On August Kranti Diwas — the 84th anniversary of the 1942 Quit India Movement — Odisha joined the national tricolour wave. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday, August 9, 2026, inaugurated the state-level launch of the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign alongside ministers, guests, and what he described as a vast gathering of the state's youth.

Writing in Odia, Majhi said he felt privileged to be part of the launch ceremony: 'ଏହି ଅଭିଯାନ ଆଜି ସାରା ଦେଶରେ ଏକ ଗଣ-ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନରେ ପରିଣତ ହୋଇଛି' — 'this campaign has today transformed into a mass movement across the entire country.' He added that on this sacred date, the national flag was kindling 'a new wave of patriotism, self-respect, and unity in the heart of every Indian.'

A Campaign Rooted in 2022, Now in Its Fifth Year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Har Ghar Tiranga in 2022 as a centrepiece of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the nationwide celebration marking 75 years of Indian independence. The idea was straightforward and deliberately populist: every household hoists the tricolour, turning a private act into a shared national statement. What began as a one-time independence anniversary gesture has since become an annual fixture, with state governments running their own launch ceremonies each August.

Choosing August Kranti Diwas as the launch date carries deliberate historical weight. It was on August 9, 1942, that Mahatma Gandhi's call for the British to 'Quit India' set off one of the most decisive mass uprisings of the independence struggle. Anchoring a flag-hoisting campaign to that date ties contemporary patriotic expression directly to the sacrifices of that era.

Odisha's Youth at the Centre of the Drive

Majhi placed Odisha's youth front and centre in his framing of the event, describing their presence as the emotional core of the ceremony. The state government's emphasis on young participants aligns with the campaign's broader strategy of embedding flag-hoisting in schools, colleges, and local body programmes — building a civic habit rather than a single-day spectacle.

Odisha, an eastern state with a strong tradition of state-level cultural mobilisation, is one of many BJP-governed states where the central campaign finds enthusiastic administrative support. The combination of a historically resonant date, a visible symbolic act, and the involvement of thousands of young people gives the drive a momentum that transcends routine government programming.

Four years in, Har Ghar Tiranga is no longer just a campaign — it is a calendar event. And on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement, Odisha's Chief Minister made sure his state was flying its colours.