Gratitude for Canada woven in red and white
Indian-born Minu Bhatia lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Indian-born Minu Bhatia crocheted a Canadian flag to show her gratitude to her adopted country
People usually forget a good deed done for them, others remember it but don’t think of reciprocating. Then there is Calgary-based immigrant from India Minu Bhatia. She not only fondly remembers the benevolence of the Canadian society, but has gone a step further to reciprocate her gratitude — 800 square feet of it.
Bhatia, a radio host by profession, has crochet-woven an 800-square-foot (20-by-40-foot) Canadian flag. This handwoven flag weighs 60 kilograms and is almost as big as a small house.
Bhatia and her family immigrated from India to Canada in 2010. She did face the usual settlement challenges, but being an academician, bestowed with a melodious voice, she did eventually make it on professional front. Managing a UCMAS academy and hosting a popular radio show on a local FM channel, RedFM, for a living.
“This country has given me so much. Safety, security and, most of all, care, comfort and warmth,” she says. “In 2016, I faced some logistics issues while being admitted to the local hospital for the birth of my second child. But everything was so deftly and professionally handled by hospital staff, that I thought deeply on reciprocating.
“It was time to give back.” She conceptualized a gift where she could lend a personal touch — a hand-knit woollen Canadian flag that exuded each of those heartfelt feelings.
Canadian flag in wool
Bhatia started on the flag project in July 2016, one small step at a time. Planning it was a challenge. “I had to choose the right shades of red and white for the flag. For three or four months, I shopped both in person and online and finally came across the right shades. This was important as wool is dyed for colour and sometimes it is not possible to get the same yarn in different batches.”
Two years down the road, in July 2018 on Canada’s 151st anniversary, she finished it off, carefully weaving the intricate patterns, painstakingly stitching them. “I made the flag in nine pieces, with the maple leaf part woven as a single entity. It was arduous but am happy that I could do it in one go, without reknitting any of those pieces,” she adds smilingly.
Finding time to do this was also a task. “Any spare time on hand would go into crocheting. Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I would just tune into some Bollywood music. In fact, my husband, daughter and infant son were all so supportive. They knew I was onto something special.”
Her workplace has been supportive, too. The staff at her radio station is planning a public event in coming months. As far as the journey of the flag goes, Bhatia plans to showcase it at Alberta Children’s Hospital first and eventually plans are to donate it to the Parliament Hill as this flag is also symbolic of the profound feelings of an immigrant. A feeling of gratitude, indebtness, warmth and safety.