MUMBAI: Republic Day is the time to wear your patriotism on your sleeve. And if it is a patriotic programme like Zee TV's new show Mulk, it offers a promo opportunity with the proper messages going out.

Zee TV did just that when it undertook a special cleanliness drive across five cities on Sunday (26 January) to mark the occasion. The effort was to ensure the serial's theme of patriotism be emphasised.

The five cities targeted were Mumbai, Delhi, Meerut, Ludhiana and Ghaziabad. In Mumbai, the locations chosen were Chowpatty, Bandra, Juhu and Lokhandwala, among others.

"It has been noticed that lots of flags lie on the streets in the evening after the Republic Day celebrations. We felt that we should create awareness about the fact that dishonouring the national flag could invite punishment. We spoke to several young children and even distributed Mulk T-shirts to the volunteers," says a Zee TV spokesperson.

The volunteers went across to each of these locations to pick up the flags, help the civic administration give the place a face lift as also send out the message of patriotism and cleanliness to the people in the five cities where this campaign was held, the spokesprerson said. These flags were later handed over to the respective municipal corporations.

Mulk a saga of three friends set during the partition era

Mulk,, a serial on the effects of partition on the lives of three friends and their relationship during those days, was seen as an ideal programme to evoke the right spirit on Republic Day. Mulkprofesses to showcase the the triumph of the human spirit over all tribulations. The serial runs on Zee TV Sunday-Wednesday at 10:30 pm.

The story begins in a pre-partition era, in Sheikhpura, a small town near Lahore. The tie between the families of Kulbhushan, Rajender Singh, and Peer Mohammed is a reflection of the friendship and fraternity that exists in the town.

The riots that engulf the country after partition not only snatched away friends from each other but also tore families apart. Mulk is all about the lives of these interconnected families, of separations and reunions across time that encompasses different generations.

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