Symbols, emblems, logos, flags, crests, images, tokens, icons, seals and stamps have an inherent meaning for human beings since the early days of civilization. It is through visual medium we first learned communication; languages were developed much later. From the point of view of this fact, the concept of a flag representing an entire group/clan/kabila/kingdom and country; it is an important development of mankind. In vedic literature flags are denoted by various terms such as Dhvaja, Akra, Krtadhvaja, Ketu, Brihatketu, Sahasraketu etc. Each term has a specific meaning but generally speaking, they fall under the umbrella term signifying a flag. Akra means a banner, Dhvaja means a flag, Ketu is a pennon (a long triangular flag or a banner), Krtadhvaja is a structure furnished with banners, and Brhatketu, as the name indicates, is a large flag. According to scholars, Sahasraketu may stand for a thousand flags or it may also be interpreted as a warrior or military general who had brought under his control a thousand flags of enemies.
Each color, each shape, design in a flag denotes passion, belief or national character of the country; if you look closely, you will find that they are actually symbolic representations of the values, ideals and commitment of those countries, among other things. The colors are also used to express religious symbolism. Green color is a phenomenon that is common to flags that belong to Islamic or Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Libya. Color green depicts Muslim religion. Thus, each flag represents its own country and nation all around the world and conveys specific messages.
The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise. It should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always upward and free. The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored so that it might be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour with saffron, white and green color with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Territory of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, we call our flag tricolour, तिरंगा in Hindi – our National Language. Our flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya who was a freedom fighter.
By law, the flag is to be made of khadi, a special type of hand-spun cloth or silk, made popular by M.K.Gandhi. The manufacturing process and specifications for the flag are laid out by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The right to manufacture the flag is held by the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission, who allocates it to regional groups. As of 2009, the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha has been the sole manufacturer of the flag. It is the only manufacturing federation located in Garag village near Dharwad City in Dharwad district, Karnataka that is authorised to manufacture and supply the Indian flag.
Usage of the flag is governed by the flag code of India and other laws relating to the national emblems. The original code prohibited use of the flag by private citizens except on national days such as the Independence Day and the Republic Day. In 2002, on hearing an appeal from a private citizen, Naveen Jindal, a director of a factory, filed a petition after he was told that he was not permitted to fly the national flag according to the Flag Code of India. The Court reasoned that the right to fly the flag can be considered as an expression of an individual’s allegiance and pride for their nation. However, the Court did note that this right can be subject to certain reasonable statutory restrictions. the Supreme Court of India directed the Government of India to amend the code to allow flag usage by private citizens. Subsequently, the Union Cabinet of India amended the code to allow limited usage. The code was amended once more in 2005 to allow some additional use including adaptations on certain forms of clothing. The flag code also governs the protocol of flying the flag and its use in conjunction with other national and non-national flags.
According to the Flag Code of India, the Indian flag has a width: height aspect ratio of 3:2. All three horizontal bands of the flag (saffron, white and green) are equally sized. The Ashoka Chakra has twenty-four evenly-spaced spokes. Each spoke on the chakra symbolises one principle of life and also the twenty-four hours in the day, which is why it is also called the ‘Wheel of Time.’ The size of the Ashoka Chakra is not specified in the flag code, but in section 4.3.1 of “IS1: Manufacturing standards for the Indian Flag”, there is a chart that describes specific sizes of the flag and the chakra. Both the Flag code and IS1 call for the Ashoka Chakra to be printed or painted on both sides of the flag in navy blue.
M.K. Gandhi first proposed a flag to the Indian National Congress in 1921. In the centre was a traditional spinning wheel, symbolising Gandhi’s goal of making India a self-reliant country by fabricating their own clothing, between a red stripe for Hindus and a green stripe for Muslims. The design was then modified to replace red with saffron and to include a white stripe in the centre for other religious communities and to symbolise peace between the communities, and provide a background for the spinning wheel. Subsequently, to avoid dogmatic associations with the colour scheme, the three bands were assigned new meanings: courage and sacrifice, peace and truth, and faith and chivalry respectively.
The philosopher Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, who became India’s first Vice President and second President, described the significance of Indian flag as Bhagwa or the Saffron signifies fair-mindedness and free from greed. Our leaders must be free from greed for material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green shows our relationship with soil, our relationship with plant life overall our dependency on agriculture. The “Ashoka Chakra” in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma – path of rightness; it also depicts truth of life. The wheel denotes motion; life should never become stagnant. There is life in movement. The Indian flag signifies readiness to change, progress, forward movement, velour, spirit of independence and dynamism.
