THE NATIONAL FLAG
"A flag is a necessity for all nations.
Millions have died for it. It is no doubt a kind of idolatry which ,t
would bea sin to destroy. For, a flag represents an IdeaL The unfurling
of the Union
Jack evokes in the English breast sentlments whose strength it is
difficult to measure.
The Stars and Stripes mean a world to the 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 Indta is their home—to recognize a common flag
to live and to die for."
—M . K. GANDHI
ORIGIN
The evolution of the Indian National Flag reflects the political
developments in the country during the 20th century. The various
political trends, communal tensions, waves of enthusiasm can all be
seen in the people’s attitude to the flag.
The first national flag in India is said to have been hoisted on
August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta.
The flag was composed of horizontal strips of red, yellow and green.
The red strip at the top had eight white lotuses embossed on it in a
row. On the yellow strip the words Vande Mataram were inscribed in
deep blue in Devanagari characters. The green strip had a white sun on
the left and a white crescent and star on the right.
The second flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of
exiled revolutionaries in 1907 (according to some inl9OS). This was
very similar to the first flag except that the top strip had only one
lotus but seven stars denoting the Saptarishi. This flag was also
exhibited at a socialist conference in Berlin.
By the time our third flag went up in 1917, our political struggle had
taken a definite turn. Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it
during the Home kule movement. This flag had five red and four green
horizontal strips arranged alternately, with seven stars in the
aptarishi configuration super-imposed on them. In the left-hand top
corner (the pole end) was the Union Jack. There was also a white
crescent and star in one corner.
This indicated the aspirations of the time. The inclusion of the Union
Jack symbolised the goal of Dominion Status.
The presence of the Union Jack, however, made the flag generally
unacceptable. The politcal compromise that it implied was not popular.
The call for new leadership brought Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to the
fore in 1921 and, through him, the first tricolour. During the session
of the All India Congress Committee which met at Bezwada (now
Vijayawath) about this time, an Andhra youth prepared a flag and took
it to Gandhiji. It was made up of two colours—red and
green—representing the two major communites. Gandhiji suggested the
addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communites of
India and the charkha to symbolise progress.
Thus was the tricolour born, but it had not yet been officially
accepted by the All India Congress Committee. Gandhiji’s approval,
however, made it sufficiently popular to be hoisted on all Congress
occasions.
In 1931, when the A.I.C.C. met at Karachi, a resolution was passed
stressing the need for a flag which would be officially acceptable to
the Congress. There was already considerable controversy over the
significance of the colours in the flag. Communal troubles had set in.
The two major communities were at the parting of the ways and the
stress was on communal interpretation.
Meanwhile a committee of seven was appointed to elicit opinion on the
choice of a flag. It suggested a plain saffron flag with a charkha in
reddish brown in the extreme left-hand corner. The A.I.C.C. did not
accept the suggestion.
The year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the flag. A resolution
was passed adopting a tricolor flag as our national flag. This flag,
the forbear of the present one, was saffron, white and green. It was,
however, clearly stated that it bore no communal significance and was
to be interpreted thus:
Saffron for courage and sacrifice
White for truth and peace
Green for faith and chivalry
It also carried a charkha in blue on the white band. the size was
three breadths by two breadths.
This resolution for the first time conferred official Congress
recognition on the tricolour as the National Flag. Henceforward it
became our Flag and the symbol of our determination to be free. On
July 22, 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted It as Free India
National Flag. After the advent of Independence, the colours and their
significance remained the same. Only the Dharma Charkha of Emperor
Asoka was adopted in place of the charkha as the emblem on the flag.
Thus, the tricolour flag of the
Congress Party eventually became the tricolour flag of Independent
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