No political party, or any party worker for that matter, is a stranger to Mudurdkar Jhendewale. This family has seen it all - the various hues taken on by the Congress tricolour in the past five decades to the Janata Dal's famous symbol of 1977 depicting a farmer carrying a plough later to be replaced by the chakra. In fact, shopowner Balasaheb never forgets to affix `Jhendewale' to his original surname Murudkar while introducing himself.

The uncertain political climate certainly manages to leave its scars behind on the family. Former prime ministers Deve Gowda and I K Gujral may be staking a claim to the Janata Dal's `Chakra' symbol. The indecision however, has left the Murudkar family with a huge pile of these flags with few buyers. Or the Republican Party of India (RPI): the family fortunes largely depend on the symbol given to this party - the rising sun or the bullock cart. Now when partyworkers place an order for a tricolour, the Murudkar family plays it safe by asking `Hand or clock'.

There was a time when RPI meant simply flashing out the traditional blue flag. Things are no longer so simple. In keeping with the times, the family has recently launched three-dimensional badges. Turn to your right and you have Atal Behari Vajpayee benevolently smiling at you. Turn to the left and `Hind ki Bahurani' Sonia Gandhi could be staring at you. So you have Sonia posing against the backdrop of the `Hand', Vajpayee against the `Lotus' and Sharad Pawar against the `Clock' interestingly, all in the same badge. Small badges, mufflers, caps and shades inscribed with pictures of party leaders Vajpayee, Bal Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi find a place in the Murudkar shop.

This unique family however, has earned a name for itself for its flags chiefly used during elections. The more the merrier, says Murudkar. Everytime, a new leader emerges on the scene, the Murudkars' make it a point to ensure that he or she remains with them. Isn't the family in a flutter with the simultaneous holding of the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls time? ``A little,'' admits Murudkar, but hastens to add that their flags are in demand during the festive season be it the Ganesh festival, Ramnavami or Shiv Jayanti. For this family, it is business as usual, elections or no elections.