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The National Flag of India is also known as the Tiranga Jhanda. It was first officially adopted during the meeting of Constituent Assembly on July 22nd in 1947. It was adopted 24 days before the independence of India from British rule. It was designed by the Pingali Venkayya. It was so designed in horizontal shape having three colours of saffron, white and green in equivalent proportions. The upper saffron colour, white middle, lower dark green colours. Our national flag contains 2:3 ratio of width and length. In the centre a navy blue wheel having 24 spokes is designed in the middle white strip. Ashoka Chakra was taken from the pillar of the Ashok, Sarnath (Lion Capital of Ashoka). A National Flag is not just a piece of cloth, but it symbolizes the most sacred values a country stands for. In short it represents the country itself. This is the reason why we salutes or stand up when seeing a national Flag. Arthur Marcy once said “Cheers for the sailors that fought on the wave for it, Cheers for the soldiers that always were brave for it, Tears for the men that went down to the grave for it, Here comes the flag!”
National Flag of India, fondly known as Tiranga, is the nation’s pride. It is an important and integral part of the Republic of India. It represents the sovereignty of the country and is respected by its citizens. It is flown on all the government buildings in India. It is a ritual to hoist the national flag of India on national festivals such as Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. It was Mahatma Gandhi who came up with the idea of a flag for the Indian National Congress in the year 1921 when the struggle for Indian independence was still going on. The flag had a spinning wheel printed in the middle as it symbolized Bapu’s goal of making the citizens of India self-reliant by spinning and fabricating clothes. The design of the flag evolved and improvised with time. On India’s independence, the flag was modified further and the spinning wheel was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra that is the eternal wheel of law. Indian national flag is horizontal, rectangular in shape with tri color, saffron, white and green. The center of the flag is a blue wheel or chakra with 24 spokes. The flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India and is a symbol of national pride. The significance of the colours and the chakra in the National Flag was amply described by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the first president of India. Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation of disinterestedness. It mean that the leaders of this country must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre means light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green symbolises our relation to soil, our relation to the plant life here on which all other life depends. The Ashoka Wheel in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principles of those who work under this flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change. This Dharma Chakra depicted the “wheel of the law” in the Sarnath ,the Lion Capital made by the 3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.
The National Flag of India reflects its culture, civilization and history. The flag flowing in the air is a symbol of freedom. It reminds the Indian citizens of the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters to free our country from the tyranny of the British. It also inspires them to be humble and value the freedom and independence they have attained after much struggle. The Indian national flag is referred to as Tiranga as it consists of three colours -Saffron, White and Green. The saffron colour on the top symbolizes indifference which means our leaders must remain indifferent towards materialistic things. Serving the nation should be on the top of their priority list and they must do their work selflessly. The white colour in the middle represents truth and purity which means we must always follow the path of truth and right conduct. The green colour at the bottom symbolizes soil and nature and reminds us to stay grounded to our roots. The Ashoka Chakra printed in the middle of the flag on the white portion is a symbol of the law of Dharma. It means that Dharma or virtue must be the main guiding principles of those who serve the nation. It is also a symbol of motion and inspires to keep moving in life irrespective of the challenges and hardships. The flag was originally designed by Sri. Pingali Venkaya in 1921 with a traditional spinning wheel in the middle. Later, Tradition spinning wheel was replaced by Ashoka Chakra. Later, the National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during the meeting of Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947. The flag is respectfully hosted on national festivals like independence day and republic day.Students take an oath and sing national anthem while unfurling the national flag in the schools and colleges. Public and private organization members may also hoist the flag on any occasions, ceremonial event, etc. It is restricted to display the national flag for any communal or personal gains. Nobody is allowed to display the flag made of other clothes otherwise it is a punishment of imprisonment and fine. National Flag can be flown from morning till evening (sunrise to sunset) in any weather. It is prohibited to intentionally dishonour the national flag or touch it to the ground, floor or trail in water. It should not be used to cover the top, bottom, sides or back of any vehicle, like car, boat, trains, or aircraft. On flag other than the Indian should be displayed at higher level. Our national flag is of great significance to all of us. All the colours, strips, wheel and clothe used in the flag have their special significance. Flag code of India decides the use and display of national flag. Till 52 years after the independence of India, national flag was not allowed to display by the people however later the rule was altered (according to the flag code 26th January 2002) to use flag at homes, offices and factories on any special occasion. National Flag is hoisted on the national occasions like Republic day, Independence day, etc. It is also displayed in the schools and educational institutions (colleges, universities, sports camps, scout camps, etc) to inspire the students for honouring and respecting the Indian Flag. Our National Flag is our pride. We must uphold its dignity even if it is at the cost of our lives. It must always flow high as it is a symbol of the freedom that was earned after years of struggle and sacrifices.
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