Indian national flag : The history of Tiranga

Tiranga ; the Indian national flag:

The history of Tiranga, the Indian national flag, is a story of pride, struggle, and unity. Tiranga means “tricolour” in Hindi, and it refers to the three horizontal bands of saffron, white, and green that make up the flag. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes, called the Ashoka Chakra, which symbolises the law of dharma and the cycle of life.

The origin of Tiranga can be traced back to the early 20th century, when India was under British colonial rule. The first unofficial flag of India was hoisted by Sachindra Prasad Bose in 1906, as a protest against the partition of Bengal by the British. This flag had three horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and red, with eight white lotuses on the top band, a sun and a crescent moon on the middle band, and the word “Vande Mataram” (meaning “I bow to thee, Mother”) on the bottom band1.

In 1907, another flag was unfurled by Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama, an Indian politician and activist, at the second International Socialist Congress in Germany. This flag had three horizontal stripes of green, saffron, and red, with a sun and a crescent moon on the top band, and eight white lotuses on the bottom band. In the middle band, there was the word “Vande Mataram” in Devanagari script2.

In 1917, another version of the flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya, a freedom fighter and agriculturist. This flag had two horizontal stripes of red and green, representing the two major communities of Hindus and Muslims. In the centre, there was a white disc with a spinning wheel (charkha) in navy blue, symbolising Gandhi’s idea of self-reliance and non-violence3.

In 1921, Gandhi suggested some modifications to Venkayya’s flag. He added a white stripe in between the red and green stripes, to represent other religious communities. He also changed the colour of the charkha to white, to make it more visible against the background3. This flag came to be known as the Swaraj flag (meaning “self-rule”), and it was adopted by the Indian National Congress as its official flag.

In 1931, at the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress, a resolution was passed to adopt a new flag for India. This flag was based on the Swaraj flag, but with some changes. The saffron colour replaced the red colour on the top stripe, to signify courage and sacrifice. The white colour remained in the middle stripe, to signify peace and truth. The green colour remained in the bottom stripe, to signify prosperity and faith. The charkha was moved to the centre of the white stripe, to signify the unity of all communities.

This flag was used as a symbol of resistance against British rule until India gained its independence on August 15th 1947. On July 22nd 1947, just before independence day ,the Constituent Assembly adopted this flag as the national flag of India , with one final change: The charkha was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra , which was taken from the Lion Capital of Ashoka , an ancient Indian emperor who ruled over most of South Asia in 3rd century BCE . The Ashoka Chakra was chosen to represent India’s ancient heritage , as well as its commitment to justice and progress.

Since then , Tiranga has been flying high as a symbol of India’s sovereignty , diversity , and democracy . It is hoisted on every national occasion , such as Republic Day (January 26th) and Independence Day (August 15th) , as well as on various public buildings , monuments , and institutions . It is also displayed by Indian citizens at home , at work , or abroad , as a sign of their patriotism and identity . Tiranga is respected by all Indians , regardless of their religion , caste , language , or region . It is a source of inspiration and pride for every Indian .

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on the history of Tiranga . If you have any questions or comments , please feel free to share them below . Thank you for your time and attention . Jai Hind ! 🇮🇳