Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Nov 1 declared Karnataka’s commitment to granting official status to the traditional Kannada flag. For the past eight years, Karnataka has been keen to hoist the bi-colour flag (Nada Dhwaja) below the national tricolour. However, the Union government has not yet given its nod to it. The issue of the Kannada flag is an emotional one for the people, rooted in historical struggles and insecurities that continued even after the formation of the state in 1956.