At Purnia's 'Jhanda Chowk', the tricolour flutters at midnight

On every 14 August at around 11 pm, people start gathering at the Jhanda Chowk in Purnia and the flag is unfurled by a social worker or any important official.

Purnia: On Independence Day, the unfurling of the flag across the country takes place in the morning, but there are two places where the ceremony happens even before the sun rises - Wagah Border and Purnia.

Dilip Kumar Deepak, a social worker explains the history of the Jhanda Chowk in Purnia, "As soon as the leaders of the freedom movement in Purnia received the news on the night of 14 August that Lord Mount Baton had declared India an independent nation, they decided to commemorate the occasion by hoisting the flag at a crossing in Purnia. That is how it got its name - Jhanda Chowk."

The flag was first hoisted by freedom leader Rameshwar Prasad Singh. Since then, evry year on 14 August at around 11 pm, people start gathering at the Chowk and the flag is unfurled by a social worker or any important official.