Sanjeev Chawla flies his flag high, but he won't use it to get dry.

The patriotic immigrant and his wife Sangeeta are on a crusade to get Canada flag bath towels off the shelves at local stores.

Sanjeev said he was "rather horrified" to find towels bearing the flag at an Edmonton drug store.

"If it is a towel showing an exact replica of a Canadian flag, and if someone is using this as a towel, rubbing your body and your feet, it's offensive. It's offensive against our identity," he said.

"If you're using it and throwing it in the sand on the beach or somewhere, don't you feel that it's insulting? The image of our flag should be treated with respect."

Sanjeev and Sangeeta unveiled a massive 20-foot-by-40-foot Canadian flag at Oliver school on Canada Day that they ordered custom-made from Ontario.

Sanjeev said the Canadian flag is a source of pride and inspiration for the couple, who moved to Toronto from India 10 years ago with their four-year-old son and relocated to Edmonton in 2008.

Sanjeev has written to the drug store and to the federal government's Canadian Heritage department, which is now investigating the matter. The towels are also available at a number of other locations, including some hardware stores.

"(Canada) is a beautiful country and beautiful people, and the foundation of our country is built on hard work," he said.

"I cannot use this towel. I can not rub my body with this flag. It hurts me."

In 2007, Unilever Arabia withdrew a line of bath towels bearing the Indian flag following complaints from the Indian consulate in Dubai.

kevin.maimann@sunmedia.ca

@SunKevinM