"Indian flag" redirects here. For flags used by Native American people, see the tribes' respective articles, for example the Navajo Nation.

Flag of India
Tirangā

Name	India
Use	National flag
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	22 July 1947
Design	Horizontal tricolour flag (deep saffron, white, and green). In the center of the white is a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes
Designed by	Pingali Venkayya

The National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during an ad hoc meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, twenty-four days before India's independence from the British on 15 August 1947. It has served as the national flag of the Dominion of India between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950 and that of the Republic of India thereafter.^[1] In India, the term "tricolour" (Hindi: तिरंगा, Tirangā) almost always refers to the Indian national flag.

The national flag, adopted in 1947, is based on the flag of the Indian National Congress, designed by Pingali Venkayya.^[2] The flag is a horizontal tricolour of "deep saffron" at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre, there is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra, taken from the Lion Capital of Asoka erected atop Ashoka pillar at Sarnath. The diameter of this Chakra is three-fourths of the height of the white strip. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3.^[3] The flag is also the Indian Army's war flag, hoisted daily on military installations.

The official flag specifications require that the flag be made only of khadi, a special type of hand-spun cloth made popular by Mahatma Gandhi; while these specifications are widely respected within India, they are frequently ignored in the manufacture of Indian flags outside of the country. The display and use of the flag are strictly regulated by the Flag Code of India.^[3]

[edit] Design and symbolism

The flag was designed in 1921 by Pingali Venkayya, an agriculturist from Machilipatnam.^[2][4] The manufacture of national flags is regulated by three documents issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards. All of the flags are made out of khadi cloth and it could be either silk, cotton or wool. The standards were created in 1968 and were updated in 2008.^[5]

The original sandstone-sculpted Lion Capital of Ashoka preserved at Sarnath Museum. The 'chakra' on the flag derives from this ancient monument.

Originally, Gandhi was presented with a flag with two colors, red for the Hindus, and green for the Muslims. In the centre a traditional spinning wheel was suggested, which was associated with Gandhi's goal of making Indians self-reliant by fabricating their own clothing. Gandhi modified the flag by adding a white stripe in the center for other religious communities, and thus providing a background for the spinning wheel. Later on, to avoid sectarian associations with color, orange (having been changed from red), white and green were said to, respectively, represent courage and sacrifice, peace and truth, and faith and chivalry.^[6]

A few days before India became independent on August 1947, the specially constituted Constituent Assembly decided that the flag of India must be acceptable to all parties and communities.^[1] A flag with three colours, Saffron, White and Green with the Ashoka Chakra was selected. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became India's first Vice President, clarified the adopted flag and described its significance as follows:

[edit] History

India was under British rule in the 19th century. A number of flags with varying designs were used in the period preceding the Indian Independence Movement by the rulers of different princely states. The rebellion of 1857 resulted in the establishment of direct imperial rule, and the idea of an Indian flag originated. The first flag designed based on western heraldic standards was similar to the flags of other colonies including Canada and Australia; the blue banner included the Union Flag in one corner and a Star of India capped by the royal crown. To address the question of how the star conveyed any Indianness, and also consolidate the empire, The Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India was created by the queen. Subsequently, all the Indian states received flags with symbols designed based on the heraldic criteria of Europe.^[7][8]

Flag of British India, 1858-1947

The British were the first to design a specific flag for India based on Western standards of heraldry, comprising of the Union Jack along with a Star of India capped by the royal crown, on a blue background.^[7] In the early twentieth century, around the coronation of Edward VII, a discussion started on the need for a heraldic symbol that was representative of the Indian empire. William Coldstream, a British member of the Indian Civil Service, campaigned with the government to change the heraldic symbol from the supercilious star to something more appropriate that would bind the people to the Kingdom of Great Britain. His proposal was not well received by the government; Lord Curzon rejected it for practical reasons that would include the multiplication of flags.^[9] Around this time, nationalist opinion within the dominion was leading to a representation through religious tradition. The symbols that were in vogue included the Ganesha, advocated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Kali, advocated by Aurobindo Ghosh and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Another symbol was the cow, or Gau Mata (cow mother). All these symbols were Hindu-centric and did not work as a symbol of unity with the Muslims.^[10]

The Calcutta Flag or Bande Mataram flag, introduced in 1906

The partition of Bengal (1905) resulted in the introduction of a new Indian flag that helped unite the multitude of castes and races within he country. The Bande Mataram flag, part of the Swadeshi movement against the British, consisted Indian religious symbols represented in western heraldic fashion. The tricolor flag included eight white lotuses on the upper red band – representing the eight provinces, a sun and a crescent on the bottom yellow band – representing the Hindu and Muslim population respectively, and the Bande Mataram slogan in Hindi on the central green band. The flag was launched in Calcutta bereft of any ceremony and was only briefly covered by newspapers. The flag was not covered in contemporary governmental or political reports either, but was used at the annual session of the Indian National Congress. A slightly modified version was subsequently used by Madam Bhikaji Cama at the Second Socialist International Meeting in Stuttgart. Despite the multiple uses of the flag, it failed to generate enthusiasm amongst Indian nationalists.^[11]

Around the same time, another proposal for the flag was initiated by Sister Nivedita, a Hindu reformist and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. The flag consisted of a thunderbolt in the centre and hundred and eight oil lamps for the border, with the Vande Mataram caption split around the thunderbolt. It was also presented at the Indian Nationional Congress meeting.^[12] Soon, many other proposals were initiated, but none of them gained attention from the nationalist movement. In 1916, Pingali Venkayya submitted thirty new designs, in the form of a booklet funded by members of the High Court of Madras. These many proposals and recommendations did little more than just keep the flag movement alive. The same year, Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak adopted a new flag as part of the Home Rule Movement. The flag included the Union Jack in the upper left corner, a star and crescent in the upper right, and seven stars displayed diagonally from the lower right, on a background of five red and four green alternating bands. The flag resulted in the first governmental initiative against any nationalistic flag, with a magistrate in Coimbatore banning its use. The ban was followed by a public debate on the function and importance of a national flag.^[13]

The Swaraj flag, introduced in 1921.

In the early 1920s, national flag discussions gained prominence across most British dominions following the peace treaty between Britain and Ireland. In November 1920, the Indian delegation to the League of Nations wanted to use an Indian flag, and this prompted the British Indian government to place renewed emphasis on the flag as a national symbol. In April 1921, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wrote in his journal Young India about the need for an Indian flag, proposing a flag with the charkha or spinning wheel at the center.^[14] The idea of the spinning wheel was put forth by Lala Hansraj and Gandhi commissioned Venkayya to design a flag with the spinning wheel on a red and green banner, the red colour signifying Hindus and the green, Muslims. Gandhi wanted the flag to be presented at the Congress session of 1921, but the flag was not delivered on time. Gandhi later wrote that the delay was fortuitous as that allowed him to realise that other religions were not represented; he then added white to the banner colours, to represent all the other religions. This representation of the multitude of religions as three distinct groups of Hindus, Muslims, and others was generally representative of the social construct at the time. Soon, the Sikhs wanted the banner to include the black colour and Gandhi was forced to address these issues in his writings and speeches. Finally, owing to the religious-political sensibilities, in 1929, Gandhi moved away from the religious representation of the flag, to a more secular version, stating that the red colour stood for the sacrifices of the people, white for purity and green for hope.^[15]

On 13 April 1923, during a procession commemorating the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by local Congress volunteers in Nagpur, the Swaraj flag with the spinning wheel was used. The flag resulted in a confrontation between the Congressmen and the police, after which five people were imprisoned. Over a hundred other protesters continued the flag procession after a meeting. Subsequently, on the first of May, Jamnalal Bajaj, the secretary of the Nagpur Congress Committee started the Flag Satyagraha, gaining national attention and marking a significant point in the flag movement. The satyagraha pushed by the Congress nationally started creating cracks within the organisation, with the Gandhians highly enthused, while the other group of Swarajists calling it inconsequential. Finally, at the All India Congress Committee meeting in July, at the insistence of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu, Congress closed ranks and the flag movement was endorsed. The flag movement was managed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with the idea of public processions and flag displays by common people. By the end of the movement, over 1500 people had been arrested across all of British India. The Bombay Chronicle reported that the movement drew from diverse groups of society including farmers, students, merchants, labourers and "national servants". While Muslim participation was moderate, the movement enthused women, who had hitherto rarely participated in the independence movement.^[16]

The Congress flag adopted in 1931.

While the flag agitation got its impetus from Gandhi's writings and discourses, the movement received political acceptance following the Nagpur incident. News reports, editorials and letters to editors published in various journals and newspapers of the time attest to the subsequent development of a bond between the flag and the nation. Soon, the concept of preserving the honour of the national flag became an integral component of the freedom struggle. While Muslims were still wary of the Swaraj flag, it gained acceptance among Muslim leaders of the Congress and the Khilafat Movement as the national flag. Detractors of the flag movement, including Motilal Nehru soon hailed the Swaraj flag as a symbol of national unity. Thus, the flag became a significant structural component of the institution of India. In contrast to the subdued responses of the past, the British Indian government took greater cognisance of the new flag, and began to define a policy of response. Public usage of the flag resulted in discussions in the British parliament, and based on directives from England, the British Indian government used threats of withdrawing funds from municipalities and local governments that do not prevent the display of the Swaraj flag.^[17] The Swaraj flag became the official flag of Congress at the 1931 meeting. However, by then, the flag had already become the symbol of the independence movement.^[18]

Indian Flag, the first stamp of independent India, released on 21 Nov 1947, was meant for foreign correspondence.^[19][20]

A few days before India gained its freedom in August 1947, the Constituent Assembly was formed. To select a flag for independent India, on 23 June 1947, the assembly set up an ad hoc committee headed by Rajendra Prasad and including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sarojini Naidu, C. Rajagopalachari, K. M. Munshi and B.R. Ambedkar as its members. On 14 July 1947, the committee recommended that the flag of the Indian National Congress be adopted as the National Flag of India with suitable modifications, so as to make it acceptable to all parties and communities. It was also resolved that the flag should not have any communal undertones.^[21] The spinning wheel of the Congress flag was replaced by the Chakra (wheel) from the Lion Capital of Asoka, the emblem of India. According to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the Chakra was chosen as it was representative of dharma and law. However, Nehru explained that the change was more practical in nature, as unlike the flag with the spinning wheel, this would appear symmetrical. Gandhi was not very pleased by the change, but eventually came around to accepting it. The flag was proposed by Nehru at the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947 as a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron, white and dark green in equal proportions, with the Ashoka wheel in blue in the centre of the white band. Nehru also presented two flags, one in Khadi-silk and the other in Khadi-cotton, to the assembly. The resolution was approved unanimously.^[22]

[edit] Manufacturing process

In 1951, after India became a republic, the Indian Standards Institute (now Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS) brought out the first official specifications for the flag. These were revised in 1964 to conform to the metric system which was adopted in India. The specifications were further amended on 17 August 1968.^[21] The specifications cover all the essential requirements of the manufacture of the Indian flag including sizes, dye colour, chromatic values, brightness, thread count and hemp cordage. The guidelines are covered under civil and criminal laws and defects in the manufacturing process can result in punishments that include fines or jail terms.^[23]

Khadi or hand-spun cloth is the only material allowed to be used for the flag. Raw materials for khadi are restricted to cotton, silk and wool. There are two kinds of khadi used, the first is the khadi-bunting which makes up the body of the flag and the second is the khadi-duck, which is a beige-coloured cloth that holds the flag to the pole. The khadi-duck is an unconventional type of weave that meshes three threads into a weave as compared to two weaves used in conventional weaving. This type of weaving is extremely rare, and there are fewer than a dozen weavers in India professing this skill. The guidelines also state that there should be exactly 150 threads per square centimetre, four threads per stitch,^[23] and one square foot should weigh exactly 205 grams.^[21][24]

A header of an Indian flag (size 6, date 2007/2008) approved by the ISI

The woven khadi is obtained from two handloom units in Dharwad and Bagalkot districts of northern Karnataka. Currently, Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha based in Hubli is the only licenced flag production and supply unit in India. Permission for setting up flag manufacturing units in India is allotted by the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), though the BIS has the power to cancel the licences of units that flout guidelines.^[21] The hand-woven khadi for the National Flag was initially manufactured at Garag, a small village in Dharwad district in north Karnataka. A Centre was established at Garag in 1954 by a few freedom fighters under the banner of Dharwad Taluk Kshetriya Seva Sangh and obtained the Centre’s licence to make flags.^[21]

Once woven, the material is sent to the BIS laboratories for testing. After stringent quality testing; the flag if approved, is returned to the factory. It is then bleached and dyed into the respective colours. In the centre the Ashoka Chakra is screen printed, stencilled or suitably embroidered. Care also has to be taken that the chakra is matched and completely visible on both sides. The BIS then checks for the colours and only then can the flag be sold.^[23] Each year around forty million flags are sold in India. The largest flag in India (6.3 × 4.2 m) is flown by the government of Maharashtra atop the Mantralaya building, the state administrative headquarters.^[24]

[edit] Protocol

Correct horizontal and vertical display of the flag.

Display and usage of the flag is governed by the Flag Code of India, 2002; the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950; and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.^[21] Insults to the national flag, including gross affronts or indignities to it, as well as using it in a manner so as to violate the provisions of the Flag Code, are punishable by law with imprisonment up to three years, or a fine, or both.^[25] Official regulation states that the flag must never touch the ground or water, or be used as a drapery in any form.^[21] The flag may not be intentionally placed upside down, dipped in anything, or hold any objects other than flower petals before unfurling. No sort of lettering may be inscribed on the flag. When out in the open, the flag should always be flown between sunrise and sunset, irrespective of the weather conditions. The flag may be also flown on a public building at night under special circumstances.^[21] The flag should never be depicted, displayed or flown upside down. Tradition also states that when draped vertically, the flag should not merely be rotated through 90 degrees, but also reversed. One "reads" a flag like the pages of a book, from top to bottom and from left to right, and after rotation the results should be the same. It is insulting to display the flag in a frayed or dirty state, and the same rule applies to the flagpoles and halyards used to hoist the flag, which should always be in a proper state of maintenance.^[3]

The original flag code of India did not allow private citizens to fly the national flag except on national days such as Independence Day or Republic Day. Naveen Jindal, an industrialist used to the more egalitarian use of the flag in the United States where he studied, flew the Indian flag on his office building. The flag was confiscated and he was warned of prosecution. Jindal filed a public interest litigation petition in the High Court of Delhi; he sought to strike down the restriction on the use of the flag by private citizens, arguing that hoisting the national flag with due decorum and honour was his right as a citizen, and a way of expressing his love for the country.^[26][27] At the end of the appeals process, the case was heard by the Supreme Court of India; the court ruled in Jindal's favour, asking the Government of India to consider the matter. The Union Cabinet of India then amended the Indian Flag Code with effect from January 26, 2002, allowing private citizens to hoist the flag on any day of the yer, subject to them safeguarding the dignity, honour and respect of the flag.^[21] It is also held that the code was not a statute and restrictions under the code ought to be followed; also, the right to fly the flag is a qualified right, unlike the absolute rights guaranteed to citizens, and should be interpreted in the context of Article 19 of the Constitution of India.^[21] The original flag code also forbade use of the flag on uniforms, costumes and other clothing. In July 2005, the Government of India amended the code to allow some forms of usage. The amended code forbids usage in clothing below the waist, on undergarments, and embroidered onto pillowcases, handkerchiefs or other dress material.^[28]

Disposal of damaged flags is also covered by the flag code. Damaged or soiled flags may not be cast aside or disrespectfully destroyed, they have to be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the flag.^[3]

[edit] Display

Placement protocol for the Indian flag with another country's flag

The rules regarding the correct methods to display the flag state that when two flags are fully spread out horizontally on a wall behind a podium, their hoists should be towards each other with the saffron stripes uppermost. If the flag is displayed on a short flagpole, this should be mounted at an angle to the wall with the flag draped tastefully from it. If two national flags are displayed on crossed staffs, the hoists must be towards each other and the flags must be fully spread out. The flag should never be used as a cloth to cover tables, lecterns, podiums or buildings, or be draped from railings.^[3] Whenever the flag is displayed indoors in halls at public meetings or gatherings of any kind, it should always be on the right (observers' left), as this is the position of authority. So when the flag is displayed next to a speaker in the hall or other meeting place, it must be placed on the speaker's right hand. When it is displayed elsewhere in the hall, it should be to the right of the audience. The flag should be displayed completely spread out with the saffron stripe on top. If hung vertically on the wall behind the podium, the saffron stripe should be to the left of the onlookers facing the flag with the hoist cord at the top.^[3]

A flag procession

The flag, when carried in a procession or parade or with another flag or flags, should be on the marching right or alone in the centre at the front. The flag may form a distinctive feature of the unveiling of a statue, monument, or plaque, but should never be used as the covering for the object. As a mark of respect to the flag, it should never be dipped to a person or thing. Regimental colours, organisational or institutional flags may be dipped as a mark of honour. During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag, or when the flag is passing in a parade or in a review, all persons present should face the flag and stand at attention. Those present in uniform should render the appropriate salute. When the flag is in a moving column, persons present will stand at attention or salute as the flag passes them. A dignitary may take the salute without a head dress. The flag salutation should be followed by the playing of the national anthem.^[3]

The privilege of flying the national flag on vehicles is restricted to the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors and Lt. Governors, Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, Members of Parliament and state legislatures, judges of the Supreme Court of India and High Courts, and Officers of Flag-rank of the army, navy and air force. The flag has to be flown from a staff affixed firmly either on the middle front or to the front right side of the car. When a foreign dignitary travels in a car provided by government, the flag should be flown on the right side of the car with the flag of the foreign country being flown on the left side.^[21] The flag should be flown on the aircraft carrying the President, the Vice-President or the Prime Minister on a visit to a foreign country. Alongside the National Flag, the flag of the country visited should also be flown; however, when the aircraft lands in countries en route, the national flags of the respective countries would be flown instead. When carrying the President within India, aircrafts display the flag on the side the President embarks or disembarks; the flag is similarly flown on trains, but only when the train is stationary or approaching a railway station.^[3]

When the Indian flag is flown on Indian territory along with other national flags, the general rule is the the Indian flag should be the starting point of all flags. When flags are placed in a straight line, the rightmost flag (leftmost to the observer facing the flag) is the Indian flag, followed by other national flags in alphabetical order. When placed in a circle, the Indian flag is the first point and is followed by other flags alphabetically. In such placement, all flags should be of approximately the same size, with no flag larger than the Indian flag. Each national flag should also be flown from individual poles and no flag should be placed higher than another. In addition to being the first flag, the Indian flag can also be placed within the row or circle alphabetically. When placed on crossed poles, the Indian flag should be in front of the other flag, and to the right (observer's left) of the other flag. The only exception to the above rule is when it is flown along with the Flag of the United Nations, which can be placed to the right of the Indian flag.^[3]

When the Indian flag is displayed with non national flags, including corporate flags and advertising banners, the rules state that if the flags are on separate staffs, the flag of India should be in the middle, or the furthest left from the viewpoint of the onlookers, or at least one flag's breadth higher than the other flags in the group. Its flagpole must be in front of the other poles in the group, but if they are on the same staff, it must be the uppermost flag. If the flag is carried in procession with other flags, it must be at the head of the marching procession, or if carried with a row of flags in line abreast, it must be carried to the marching right of the procession.^[3]

[edit] Half-mast

The flag should be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning. The decision to do so lies with the President of India who also decides the period of such mourning. When the flag is to be flown at half mast, it must first be raised to the top of the mast and then slowly lowered to half mast. While lowering the flag, it is first raised to the top of the pole and then lowered. Only the Indian flag is flown half mast; all other flags remain at normal height. The flag is flown half-mast nationwide on the death of the President, Vice-president, Prime Minister. It is flown half-mast in New Delhi and the state of origin for the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Union Ministers. On deaths of Governors, Lt. Governors and Chief Ministers, the flag is flown at half-mast in the respective states and union territories. The Indian flag can not be flown at half-mast on Republic Day, Independence day, Gandhi Jayanthi, National Week or state formation anniversaries except over buildings housing the body of the deceased. However, even in such cases, the flag must be raised to full-mast when the body is moved from the building. Observances of State mourning on the death of foreign dignitaries are governed by special instructions issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs in individual cases. However, in the event of death of either the Head of the State or Head of the Government of a foreign country, the Indian Mission accredited to that country may fly the national flag at half-mast on the above mentioned days. On occasions of state, military, central para-military forces funerals, the flag shall be draped over the bier or coffin with the saffron towards the head of the bier or coffin. The flag shall not be lowered into the grave or burnt in the pyre.^[3]

[edit] See also

India portal

• Gallery of flags by similarity#Green, orange, and white
• List of Indian flags

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Virmani, Arundhati (2008), A National Flag for India. Rituals, Nationalism and the Politics of Sentiment, Delhi, Permanent Black, ISBN 81-7824-232-X 
• Virmani, Arundhati (August 1999), "National Symbols under Colonial Domination: The Nationalization of the Indian Flag, March-August 1923", Past & Present 164: 169–197, JSTOR 651278 .
• Roy, Srirupa (August 2006), "A Symbol of Freedom: The Indian Flag and the Transformations of Nationalism, 1906–", Journal of Asian Studies 65 (3), ISSN 0021-9118, OCLC 37893507, http://www.umass.edu/sbs/pdf/srirupa_roy_article.pdf 
• Jha, Sadan (25 October 2008), "The indian National Flag as a Site of Daily plebiscite", Economic and political weekly: 102–111, ISSN 0012-9976, OCLC 1567377 .

• "Indian Standards" (PDF). Bureau of Indian Standards. http://www.bis.org.in/sf/pow/txd.pdf. Retrieved 1 July 2005. 
• "India". Flags of the World. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/in.html. Retrieved 30 June 2005. 
• "India: Historical Flags". Flags of the World. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/in-hist.html. Retrieved 30 June 2005. 
• "Flying the real tricolour". rediff.com interview. http://www.rediff.com/money/2002/jan/25flag.htm. Retrieved 1 July 2005. 
• "My Flag, My Country". Rediff.com interview. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jun/13spec.htm. Retrieved 1 July 2005. 
• "Flag Code amendment". Indiachild.com. http://www.indianchild.com/indian_flag_code.htm. Retrieved 1 July 2005. 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Flags of India

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Flag of India

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Flag Code of India

• Download Flag of India image from the National Portal of India, Government of India.
• The Flag Code of India
• Tiranga.net
• The wheel of truth
• Lion Capital images from Columbia University Website, New York, USA
• India at Flags of the World

v • d • e National symbols of India National Symbols Tricolour · Sarnath Lion Capital · Jana Gana Mana  · Vande Mataram · Bengal Tiger · Indian Peacock  · Ganges and Indus River Dolphin · Banyan · Lotus · Mango · Field hockey · Saka · Ganges

v • d • e Life in India Arts and Entertainment · Caste · Cinema · Citizenship · Climate · Cuisine · Culture · Demographics · Economy · Education · Flag · Foreign Relations · Geography · Government · History · Holidays · Languages · Law · Police · Literacy · Military · Politics · Religion · Sports · Transport