The Indian National flag, the ‘Tricolour’ as the world calls it, or ‘Tiranga’ as we call it, is one of the most meaningful flags in the world, which portrays the rich history of India. A flag can say a lot about the country; it represents the citizens, the values, cultures, norms, and traditions.
Pingali Venkayya was the first person to raise the issue of having a national flag for the nation. The official dimensions of the flag are 3 feet broad and 2 feet tall. On 22nd July 1947, the tricolour was accepted to be the official flag of India.
The three stripes are :
Saffron: Also called“bhagwa”, it stands for courage, sacrifice, renunciation, and selflessness. Quoting Dr Sarvepalli, “Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work”.
White: This colour stands for honesty, purity, peace, cleanliness, and knowledge. White is a symbol of light, presumably lightening the path of truth to guide the nation.
Green: It represents prosperity, faith, and fertility. It also indicates greenery all over India, as ours is an agricultural nation.
Ashok Chakra: The Chakra represents “Dharma” or righteousness towards the nation and its citizens. The Ashok Chakra contains 24 spokes in the centre which also presents the 24 precious hours of the whole day, and is intended to motivate the citizens to utilise them to the fullest.
The dharma chakra, also present in Sarnath, was taken by King Ashoka to represent on the top of his pillars. The navy blue colour of the chakra represents the sky and the ocean.
According to the Hindu religion, all the 24 spokes of the National Flag represent the Life means The Dharma which are 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).
A Few Important Excerpts From The Flag Code Of India (2002)
- The flag has to be hoisted after sunrise and should be lowered down by sunset
- The Tiranga cant be used for clothing, curtains or any religious purposes
- The flag shouldn’t be below your height, and no flag should be higher than the tricolour; if two flags are present at the same time and place.
- The length height ratio of the flag has to be 3:2.
- While hoisting and lowering the flag or during a parade, all people present should face the flag, and stand at attention, while persons in uniform should stand at attention and salute.
Unity In Diversity
There are a few misconceptions about our Tiranga in society, which has led people to associate it with religious boundaries, but it isn’t like that. And the curators of our flag had a deeper sense of meaning while designing it!
The Tiranga is for Indians as a whole, let’s be proud of the fact that ours is one of the few countries which is so full of diversity in terms of culture, language and traditions.
This article was originally published here.