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Indian Flag
The National Flag of India is a national symbol designed in a horizontal rectangular shape. It is designed using three colours such as deep saffron (top most), white (middle), and India green (lower most). The middle white colour contains navy blue Ashoka Chakra (means Wheel of Law) in the centre, having 24 spokes in the wheel. The present form of the Indian flag was adopted in the meeting of the Constituent Assembly on the 22nd of July in 1947.
The present Indian Flag was declared the official flag by the authority of India. As the Indian Flag contains three colours, it is also called Tiranga. It is based on the Swaraj flag (the flag of the Indian National Congress, designed by Pingali Venkayya).
The Flag of India means a lot to the people of India. It is of great significance and honour to the Indian public. Indian Flag is made using a special type of clothes called Khadi (hand-spun cloth popularized by Mahatma Gandhi).
The Bureau of Indian Standards is responsible for the manufacturing and designing process of the flag; however, Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission has the right to manufacture the flag. Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha was the sole manufacturer of the Indian flag in 2009.
The National Flag Code of India governs the usage of the Indian flag (with any other national or non-national flags) and laws related to the national emblems. The use of the National flag is prohibited by private citizens (except on national days). However, at the request of Naveen Jindal (a private citizen) in 2002, the law was altered for limited usage of the Flag by the Government of India (Union Cabinet of India) on the order of the Supreme Court of India. It was again amended in 2005 for some additional use of Flag.
Meaning and Significance of the Indian Flag
The national flag of India is also known as Tricolour Flag means Tiranga as it contains tricolours. The Indian flag is designed horizontally using three colour, a wheel in the centre and a Khadi cloth. The national flag was adopted on the 22nd of July 1947 in the wake of Indian independence from British rule. The Indian Flag was designed and adopted to symbolize nationalism and freedom.
The Indian flag means a lot to us. Our symbol of unity leads us to one common way of Dharma even after being of different faiths and religions of Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. The tricolour and Ashoka Chakra (means Wheel of Law) of the Indian flag reveal some meanings, which are as follows:
Saffron Colour
The topmost part of the national flag is designed using a saffron colour, indicating the nation’s courage and selflessness. It is the common and religiously significant color of the religions like Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain. Saffron colour indicates renunciation and absolution of the ego of the people belonging to different religions and unites to become one. Saffron color is of great significance, reminding political leaders to devote themselves to the nation and perform their work dedicatedly only to the nation’s goodness without seeking any personal benefits.
White Colour
The middle part of the Indian national flag is designed using a white colour representing the nation’s honesty, purity, and peace. According to Indian philosophy, white colour also represents cleanliness and knowledge. It lightens the path of truth to guide the nation. It reminds the Indian political leaders to lead the country to get the ultimate national goal by maintaining the state of peace.
Green Colour
The lowermost part of the Indian national flag is designed using green, representing the nation’s faith, fertility, and prosperity. According to the philosophy of India, green colour is a festive and stabilizing color representing Life and happiness. It indicates the greenery of the earth all over India. It reminds the Indian political leaders to lead the country by protecting the Indian soil from destruction by both external and internal enemies.
Ashoka Chakra and 24 Spokes
According to the Hindu religion, the meaning number 24 is of great significance in the Puranas. Ashok Chakra is the Dharma Chakra, also known as the Samay Chakra. Ashok Chakra contains 24 spokes in the centre, representing the 24 precious hours of the whole day. It also means 24 Dharma Rishis of the Hindu religion Who wielded the whole power of the Gayatri Mantra (a most powerful mantra of the Hindu religion). All 24 Dharma Rishis of the Himalayas gets represented with 24 letters of the eternal Gayatri Mantra (the first one represents the Vishvamitra, whereas the last one represents the Yajnavalkya, who governs religion means Dharma).
Keeping Ashok Chakra in the middle of the Indian Flag has a great history behind it. Many years ago, Lord Buddha got nirvana means Enlightenment in the Gaya. After getting nirvana, he turned to Sarnath, Varanasi, where he met with his five disciples (means panch vargiya Bhikshu) named Kaundinya, Ashwajeet, Bhadrak, Mahanaam, and Kashyap. Lord Buddha preached them his first sermon describing and distributing the Dharma chakra. King Ashoka took this to represent on the top of his pillars which later became the base of origin this chakra as an Ashok Chakra in the centre of the Indian flag. The presence of the Ashok Chakra in the national flag indicates the strong bond of the nation with the Buddhist faith.
The 12 spokes indicate the teachings of the Lord Buddha; however, another 12 are paired with their equivalent symbols, such as Avidya (means lack of knowledge), Samskara (means a shaper), Vijnana (means consciousness), Namarupa (means name and form), Sadayatana (means six senses like ear, eye, tongue, nose, body, and mind), Sparsa (means contact), Vedana (means pain), Trsna (means thirst), Upadana (means grasp), Bhava (means coming to be), Jati (means being born), Jaramarana (means old age) and death.
Why Ashok Chakra is in Navy Blue Colour
The Navy blue colour, of the Ashok Chakra in the centre of the white strip of the national flag indicates the most truth of the universe. It represents the color of sky and ocean.
What 24 Spokes Represent
According to the Hindu religion, all the 24 spokes of the National Flag represent the Life means The Dharma, which is as follows: Love, Courage, Patience, Peacefulness, Magnanimity, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Selflessness, Self-Control, Self Sacrifice, Truthfulness, Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, Gracefulness, Humility, Empathy, Sympathy, Spiritual Knowledge, Moral Values, Spiritual Wisdom, The Fear of God and Faith (Belief or Hope).
10 Interesting Facts about the National Flag of India
- The first Indian National Flag was hoisted on 07th August 1906 in Calcutta at Parsee Bagan Square.
- The first person to hoist the national flag in a foreign country was Madam Bhikaji Cama on 22nd August 1907 in Germany.
- Pingali Venkayya, a farmer and a freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh, designed India’s national flag.
- A Postage stamp was issued in 2009 to commemorate the great contribution of Pingali Venkayya.
- Indian national flag was also hoisted on Mt. Everest along with the national flags of the United Kingdom and Nepal on 29th May 1953.
- Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian who took the tricolor into outer space.
- The largest Human Flag formation of the Indian Flag on 07th December 2014 at YMCA Ground, Chennai, by around 50000 people, was declared the Guinness World Record for Largest Human National Flag.
- India became the fourth country to hoist Indian National Flag on the moon on 14th November 2008 through its unmanned lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1.
- Flags of the countries which have very close similarities with the Indian National Flag are Niger, Ireland, and Ivory Coast.
- An Indian National Flag of 9600 square feet was unfurled in March 2018 at Belgavi, Karnataka, on the 110-meter tall flagpole, considered India’s tallest national flag.
Indian Flag History
A flag becomes the country’s symbol, so any independent country needs a flag to represent a unique symbol of the particular nation. The National Flag of India was first adopted in its present form on the 22nd of July 1947 in the Constituent Assembly meeting, a few days before the country’s independence from British rule on the 15th of August 1947. It was designed by the Pingali Venkayya using tri colours, Ashok Chakra, and Khadi clothe.
The National flag of India is designed in a horizontal shape in which all the tri-colours are used in equal proportions. The ratio of flag width to its length is 2:3. The middle white band contains a navy blue wheel representing Ashok chakra with 24 spokes.
Before the national flag’s final adoption, it has undergone various amazing changes since its inception. It started discovering and searching for a unique national flag to recognize the country during the national struggle for freedom from British rule.
Evolution of the Indian Flag
It is said that the national flag was first time hoisted on the 7th of August in 1906 in Green Park (also called Parsee Bagan Square) in Calcutta (current Kolkata). It was a designed flag using three horizontal strips of tri colours (red, yellow, and green). The uppermost green colour strip contains eight (8) white lotus flowers. The middle yellow colour strip is written in the center with “Vande Matram” in Hindi. And the lowermost red colour strip contains a crescent (left side corner) and a Sun (right side corner).
According to history, it is said that the Indian national flag was hoisted second time in Paris by Madame Cama with her banished revolutionary band in 1907. Later that flag was exhibited at a social conference in Berlin. The second flag was a little different from the first one. The uppermost orange colour strip contains one lotus flower and seven stars (identifying the Saptarishis). The middle yellow colour strip is written with “Vande Matram” in Hindi in the center. And the lowermost green colour strip contains a Sun in the left corner and a white crescent and star in the right corner.
It was hoisted third time by Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak in 1917 during the Home rule movement. It was designed using five red and four green horizontal strips (equally divided) in alternate manners. It also contains seven stars identifying the Saptarishis and a Union Jack in the top left-hand corner, with a white crescent and star in the right top corner.
In 1921, the All India Congress Committee in Bezwada (Vijayawada) designed a flag (with two strips of red and green representing the Hindus and Muslim community) and took that to Mahatma Gandhi Ji. They suggested adding a white strip (in the middle to represent other communities) and a blue wheel (Charkha) to represent the progress of the Nation.
Finally, in 1931 a resolution was passed to adopt a tri-colour flag (suggested by Gandhiji) in India. This flag contains the upper saffron, middle white, and lower green colour strips. The middle white strip contains a spinning wheel in the center.
However, it was adopted completely on the 22nd of July 1947 in the meeting of the Constituent Assembly. They adopted a national flag with the same tri-colours and significance with only a little change; the spinning wheel was altered to the Dharma Charkha of King Asoka as an emblem on the national flag. This flag finally became the national flag of Independent India.
What is the National Flag Code of India
The Indian flag is a symbol of national pride, representing the hopes and aspirations of the Indian people. Since the independence of India to date, brave soldiers of the Indian armed forces have saved the Tiranga from enemies and maintained its full glory.
The national flag code of India is a predefined set of laws that governs the usage of the Indian Flags by the people or others from different countries. The Bureau of Indian Standards is authorized to govern the national flag’s manufacturing, designing, and correct usage by following set standards (created in 1968 and updated in 2008).
The national flag code of India was written in 2002 year and merged with acts like: “The provisions of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 (No.12 of 1950), the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (No. 69 of 1971). Finally, the flag code was enacted on the 26th of January in 2002 as a “Flag Code of India, 2002”. It has three parts such as:
- The first part contains a general description of the national flag.
- The second part instructs the use of the national flag by the public, members of private organizations, and educational institutions.
- And third part instructs the use of the national flag by the Central and State Governments, including their organizations and agencies.
All the rules, laws, and authority to use the national flag have been officially described under the Flag Code of India as follows: “The colour of the top panel shall be India saffron (Kesari), and that of the bottom panel shall be India green. The middle panel shall be white, bearing at its centre the design of Ashoka Chakra in navy blue colour with 24 equally spaced spokes.”
According to the, making a national flag by someone using clothes other than the Khadi or hand-spun cloth is punishable with imprisonment for three years, including a fine. It is also restricted that the raw materials of khadi should be cotton, silk, and wool. The flag is made up of using two kinds of khadi clothes (khadi-bunting to prepare the body of the flag) and khadi-duck (beige-colored cloth to prepare the ends of the flag holding the pole). It is also restricted that per square centimetre of clothes must contain only 150 threads, four threads per stitch, and the weight of one square foot should be only 205 gm (means 7.2 oz).
What are the Rules and Regulations of the National Flag Code of India
According to the national flag code of India based on the 26th of January, 2002 legislation, some rules and regulations must be followed to fly the flag:
- It allows the flag hoisting in educational institutions (such as schools, colleges, universities, sports camps, scouts, etc.) as an inspiration to the students to respect their national Flag. With the flag hoisting, a pledge of commitment should be followed in educational institutions.
- Public or private organizations can hoist a national flag on any national occasion by following the dignity and honour of the flag. According to section 2 of the new code, private citizens can also fly flags on their premises.
- It is restricted that no one should use a flag for any communal or personal gains, like using it as clothing. It is only flown from sunrise to sunset in any weather.
- It is prohibited to touch it intentionally on the ground, floor, trail in the water, etc.
- It should not be used to cover the top, back, or sides of any vehicle, car, aircraft, trains, boats, etc., in any condition.
- If one is using another flag with the national flag, he/she must become aware that no flag other than the national flag should be at a higher level. Nothing can be placed over it, or it cannot be used for decoration purposes.
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Famous Saying of the Mahatma Gandhi about the National Flag
“A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions have died for it. It is no doubt a kind of idolatry that would be a sin to destroy. For, a flag represents an Ideal The unfurling of the Union Jack evokes in the English breast sentiments whose strength is difficult to measure. The Stars and Stripes mean the world to Americans. The Star and the Crescent will call forth the best bravery in Islam.”
“It will be necessary for us Indians Muslims, Christians Jews, Parsis, and all others to whom India is their home-to recognize a common flag to live and to die for.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
Indian Flag Quotes
- “I was in high school when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled India’s flag in New Delhi.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
- “To survive in peace and harmony, united and strong, we must have one people, one nation, one flag.” – Pauline Hanson
- “I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it.” – John Thune
- “Our flag is not just one of many political points of view. Rather, the flag is a symbol of our national unity.” – Adrian Cronauer
- “Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it and reminds us of the sacrifice of our nation’s founders and heroes. As the ultimate icon of America’s storied history, the Stars and Stripes represents the very best of this nation.” – Joe Barton
- “On what rests the hope of the republic? One country, one language, one flag!” – Alexander Henry
- “There is much more to being a patriot and a citizen than reciting the pledge or raising a flag.” – Jesse Ventura
- “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” – Howard Zinn
- “Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” – James Bryce
- “We give our Heads! and our Hearts! to Our Country! One Country! One Language! One Flag!” – Colonel George T. Balch.
- “It is the flag just as much of the man who was naturalized yesterday as of the men whose people have been here many generations.” – Henry Cabot Lodge
- “The union of hearts the union of hands And the flag of our Union forever.” – George Pope Morris
- “Let it be borne on the flag under which we rally in every exigency, that we have one country, one constitution, one destiny.” – Daniel Webster
- “We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together. We may differ in color, but not in sentiment. Many things have been said about me which are wrong, and which white and black persons here, who stood by me through the war, can contradict.” – Nathan Bedford Forrest
