Srinagar, Aug. 15 -- For decades, the day was marked by parades, speeches, and school drills. In recent years, something more organic has emerged.

The Tiranga rallies have spread from capital boulevards to the smallest lanes of our towns. They have shifted the flag from a thing you watch to a thing you carry.

This shift is especially striking in the valley.

The Tricolour once appeared here mostly on government buildings or in moments of official ceremony. Today, it is winding its way through market streets, village squares, and river embankments.

Shopkeepers lean out of their shutters to wave. Children dart between groups with flag pins in their hands. In places where the flag once divided, it is becoming a meeting ground.

The rallie...