Nationalist leaders became increasingly aware of the role that such images and symbols played in bringing people together and igniting their sense of nationalism as the national movement grew. A tricolour flag (red, green, and yellow) was created in Bengal during the Swadeshi movement. The crescent moon represented Hindus and Muslims, while the eight lotuses represented the eight British Indian regions. Gandhiji had created the Swaraj flag by 1921. A spinning wheel in the centre symbolised the Gandhian ideal of self-help, and it was once again a tricolour (red, green, and white). Carrying the flag and raising it in the air during marches came to represent defiance.