Interesting Facts of Indian Flag

The National Flag is the symbol of dignity and freedom. The Central Government has agreed to Supreme Court's suggestion to liberate the National Flag from the mindless code which prevent citizens from unfurling it at their surrounding areas.

National Flag of India

The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of deep saffron, white and India green; 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, when it became the official flag of the Dominion of India. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India.

The flag, by law, is to be made of khadi, a special type of hand-spun cloth, or silk, made popular by Mahatma 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 allocate it to the regional groups. The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha has been the sole manufacturer of the flag.

Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha

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.

Independence Day Event - 2016

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 now Kolkata.

The second flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907.

The third flag went up in 1917 when our political struggle had taken a definite turn. Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it during the Home rule movement.

During the session of the All India Congress Committee which met at Bezwada in 1921 (now Vijayawada) Pingali Venkayya prepared a flag and took it to Gandhiji. It was made up of two colours-red and green-representing the two major communities i.e. Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India and the spinning wheel to symbolise progress of the Nation.

The year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the flag. A resolution was passed adopting a tricolour flag as our national flag. This flag, the forbear of the present one, was saffron, white and green with Mahatma Gandhi’s spinning wheel at the centre. It was, however, clearly stated that it bore no communal significance and was to be interpreted thus.

The armed resistance of the Azad Hind Movement led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (as opposed to Gandhian pacifism), the 1931 flag of the Indian National Congress was used when the Indian National Army hoisted its flag in Moirang, Manipur.

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 spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag. Thus, the tricolour flag of the Congress Party eventually became the tricolour flag of Independent India.

The largest flag (21 × 14 ft) is flown by the government of Maharashtra atop the Mantralaya building, the state administrative headquarters.

Designer of Indian National Flag

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. In 2001, Naveen Jindal,an Indian industrialist filed a public interest litigation petition in the High Court of Delhi against this, 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. The Union Cabinet of India then amended the Indian Flag Code with effect from 26 January 2002, allowing private citizens to hoist the flag on any day of the year, subject to their safeguarding the dignity, honour and respect of the flag.

When the Indian flag is flown on Indian Territory along with other national flags, the general rule is that the Indian flag should be the starting point of all flags.

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.

When a foreign dignitary travels in a car provided by government, the flag should be flown on the right side of the car while the flag of the foreign country should be flown on the left side.

The Indian national flag was hoisted on Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world, on May 29 1953, along with the Union Jack and the Nepalese National flag.

In 1971, the Indian flag, went into space on board Apollo-15. It flew into space as a medallion on the spacesuit worn by Cosmonaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, during the Indo-Soviet joint space flight in April 1984.

As per the provisions of the Flag Code of India, 2002, the following are banned:

Flying a damaged or dishevelled Flag.
Flying it with the saffron band at the bottom
Draping it over vehicles.
Using it as a drapery at private funerals
Printing it on a costume, cushion, napkin or handkerchief and
Flying it on a vehicle unless permitted to do so by the centre

Other Governmental Flags

Presidential Standard of India

1st quarter: state emblem (the lions of Sarnath) to represent national unity; 2nd quarter: elephant from Ajanta Caves to represent patience and strength; 3rd quarter: scales from the Red Fort, Old Delhi to represent justice and economy; 4th quarter: lotus vase from Sarnath to represent prosperity.