A sea of red, blue and saffron flags flutter in the breeze along the Paikkada road in Kollam during the election times. Most of those flags trace their way back to one source: Kodikkada, a tiny, iconic shop in Kollam where political colours fly off the shelves faster than slogans hit the streets. 

Election frenzy is nothing new for 57-year-old Sulfikar M. His shop, fondly known as Kodikkada (the flag shop), turns into a buzzing hub whenever polls approach. Started in 1984 by his father P Mohammed as Reliance Trading Company, it has long been the go-to destination for CPM, Congress and BJP workers, as well as community organisations like NSS and SNDP. 

He took over the shop at 16 after completing his grade 10. Over the decades, he has watched campaign culture transform dramatically. “The difference is like day and night. Back then, orders were limited. Now we get bulk orders of up to 50 at a time. The competition among parties is intense. They want everything in the shop. The inter-party rivalry is good for business,” Sulfikar says with a laugh. 

“We deal with flags of all sizes and also make banner-type flags on request. The demand changes during election time. For CPM, non-election flags are plain, without the star. During polls, we add the star to signify the LDF. Congress flags, which usually have the charkha, carry the hand symbol during elections,” he said. 

Kodikkada stocks flags priced between ₹15 and ₹800. They are printed in bulk and then stitched at the shop. In addition to party flags, it supplies those of organisations such as NSS and SNDP Yogam, and even offers customised services like printing candidate portraits on flags. Since the introduction of the green protocol in Kerala, the shop has been supplying only cloth flags. 

“Once, Malayala Manorama asked readers to share election visuals for a segment called Election Kaazhchakal. I sent a photo of my shop. They called asking where it was taken. I said, ‘My own shop.’ They were surprised. But they published it the next day,” he fondly recalls. 

While printing shops have mushroomed across the area, exclusive flag stores are still rare. Kodikkada also deals in stationery and decorative items such as buntings and balloons. Flags of larger parties like Congress, BJP and CPM are sourced wholesale from Surat, Mumbai and Delhi, while those of smaller organisations are printed locally. The shop operates from 10 am to 8 pm.

Sulfikar hopes the business will continue into the next generation. His son, who recently completed his degree, and his younger daughter often help out at the shop.