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Flag of India

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: General Geography

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   Indian National Flag Flag ratio: 2:3
   Enlarge
   Indian National Flag
   Flag ratio: 2:3

   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, a few
   days before India's independence from the British on the 15 August,
   1947. It has served as the national flag of the Dominion of India
   between the 15th of August 1947 and the 26 January 1950 and that of the
   Republic of India thereafter. In India, the term "tricolour" [Tirangā –
   तिरंगा (in Hindi)] almost always refers to the Indian national flag.

   The flag is a horizontal tricolour of 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 Ashoka pillar at Sarnath. The diameter of this Chakra is
   three-fourths of the height of the white strip. The ratio of the height
   of the flag to its width is 2:3. The flag is also the Indian Army's war
   flag, hoisted daily on military installations.

   The Indian National Flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya. The official
   flag specifications require that the flag be made only of " khadi," a
   special type of hand-spun yarn. The display and use of the flag are
   strictly enforced by the Indian Flag Code.

   A heraldic description of the flag would be Party per fess Saffron and
   Vert on a fess Argent a "Chakra" Azure.

Design

   The following are the approximate colours of the Indian flag in
   different colour models. It is sorted into the HTML RGB web colours (
   hexadecimal notation); the CMYK equivalent; dye colours and the Pantone
   equivalent number.

             Colour    HTML       CMYK     Textile colour Pantone
            Saffron   #FF9933 0-50-90-0    Saffron        1495c
            White     #FFFFFF 0-0-0-0      Cool Grey      1c
            Green     #138808 100-0-70-30  India green    362c
            Navy blue #000080 100-98-26-48 Navy blue      2755c

Symbolism

   The Ashoka Chakra
   Enlarge
   The Ashoka Chakra

   The Indian National Congress, India's largest political party before
   independence, adopted a white, green and red flag as its unofficial
   flag in 1921. The red originally stood for Hinduism, green for Islam,
   and white stood for other minority religions. It is also believed that
   white also formed a buffer of peace between the two communities, as in
   the flag of Ireland. In 1931, the Congress party adopted another flag
   with the colours saffron, white and green, and featuring the Charkha (
   spinning wheel) in the centre, as their official flag. This flag
   purportedly had no religious symbolism associated with it.

   A few days before India became independent on August 1947, the
   specially constituted Constituent Assembly decided that the flag of the
   Indian National Congress should be adopted as the national flag of
   India with suitable modifications, to make it acceptable to all parties
   and communities. The most significant change was replacing the charkha
   with the Ashoka Chakra. Since the colours of the previous flag were
   seen as having religious connotations, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who
   later became India's first Vice President, clarified that the adopted
   flag did not have any communal connotations and described its
   significance as follows:

          "Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or
          disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to 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 relation to (the) soil, our relation to the
          plant life here, on which all other life depends. The " Ashoka
          Chakra" in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of
          dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the
          controlling principle of those who work under this flag. Again,
          the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is
          life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must
          move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a
          peaceful change."

   A widely held unofficial interpretation is that the saffron stands for
   purity and spirituality, white for peace and truth, green for fertility
   and prosperity and the wheel for justice. Another interpretation is
   that the colours reflect India's religious diversity, with saffron for
   Hinduism, green for Islam, white for Jainism and Christianity, and the
   wheel for Buddhism.

History

   At the beginning of the 20th century, as the Indian independence
   movement seeking freedom from British rule gained ground, the need was
   felt for a national flag that would serve as a powerful symbol of these
   aspirations. In 1904, Sister Nivedita, an Irish disciple of Swami
   Vivekananda, came up with the first flag of India, later referred to as
   Sister Nivedita's Flag. It was a red square-shaped flag with a yellow
   inset; it depicted a " Vajra Chinha" (thunderbolt) with a white lotus
   alongside it in the centre. The words "বন্দে মাতরম" ( Bônde Matorom
   meaning "Hail the Mother[land]!") were inscribed on the flag in
   Bengali. The red colour signified the freedom struggle, yellow
   signified victory, and the white lotus signified purity.
   The Calcutta Flag
   Enlarge
   The Calcutta Flag

   The first tricolour was unfurled on 1906- 08-07, during a protest rally
   against the Partition of Bengal, by Schindra Prasad Bose in Parsi Bagan
   Square in Calcutta. This flag came to be known as the Calcutta Flag.
   The flag had three horizontal bands of equal width with the top being
   orange, the centre yellow and the bottom green in colour. It had eight
   half-opened lotus flowers on the top stripe, and a picture of the sun
   and a crescent moon on the bottom stripe. The words Vande Mataram were
   inscribed in the centre in the Devanagari script.
   The flag raised by Madam Bhikaiji Cama in 1907
   Enlarge
   The flag raised by Madam Bhikaiji Cama in 1907

   On 1907- 08-22, Bhikaiji Cama unfurled another tricolour flag in
   Stuttgart, Germany. This flag had green at the top, saffron in the
   centre and red at the bottom, the green standing for Islam and the
   saffron for both Hinduism and Buddhism. The flag had eight lotuses in a
   line on the green band representing the eight provinces of British
   India. The words Vande Mataram, in the Devanagari script, were
   inscribed on the central band. On the lowest band, towards the hoist of
   the flag was a crescent, and towards the fly a sun. The flag was
   jointly designed by Bhikaiji Cama, Veer Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna
   Varma. After the outbreak of World War I, this flag became known as the
   Berlin Committee Flag after it was adopted by the Indian
   Revolutionaries at the Berlin Committee. This flag was actively used in
   Mesopotamia during the First World War. The Ghadar Party flag was also
   used in the United States as a symbol for India for a short period of
   time.
   The flag used during the Home Rule movement in 1917
   Enlarge
   The flag used during the Home Rule movement in 1917

   The Home Rule Movement formed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant
   in 1917 adopted a new flag, one which featured five red and four green
   horizontal stripes. On the upper left quadrant was the Union Jack which
   signified the Dominion status that the movement sought to achieve. A
   crescent and a star, both in white, are set in top fly. Seven white
   stars are arranged as in the Saptarishi constellation (the
   constellation Ursa Major), which is sacred to Hindus. This flag could
   not become popular among the masses, probably due to their repugnance
   for the Union Jack.
   The flag unofficially adopted in 1921.
   Enlarge
   The flag unofficially adopted in 1921.

   A year earlier in 1916, Pingali Venkayya, from Machilipatnam in
   present-day Andhra Pradesh tried to devise a common national flag. His
   endeavours were noticed by Umar Sobani and SB Bomanji, who together
   formed the Indian National Flag Mission. When Venkayya sought Mahatma
   Gandhi's approval for the flag, the Mahatma suggested the incorporation
   of the "Charkha" or spinning wheel on the flag, symbolising "the
   embodiment of India and the redemption of all its ills". The humble
   spinning-wheel had become a hallowed symbol of the economic
   regeneration of India under the Mahatma's championship. Pingali
   Venkayya came up with a flag with the charkha on a red and green
   background. However, Mahatma Gandhi found that the flag did not
   represent all the religions of India.

   To address Mahatma Gandhi's concerns, another new flag was indeed
   designed. This tricolour featured white on top, green in the centre and
   red at the bottom, symbolising the minority religions, Muslims and
   Hindus respectively, with a "Charkha" drawn across all three bands.
   Parallels were drawn with the fact that it closely resembled the Flag
   of Ireland, symbol of the other major freedom struggle against the
   British Empire. This flag was first unfurled at the congress party
   meeting in Ahmedabad. Although this flag was not adopted as the
   official flag of the Indian National Congress party, it was
   nevertheless widely used during the freedom movement.

   However, there were many who were not satisfied with the communal
   interpretation of the flag. The All India Sanskrit Congress that
   convened in Calcutta in 1924 suggested the inclusion of saffron or
   ochre and the "gadha" (mace) of Vishnu as the symbol of the Hindus.
   Later that year, it was suggested that geru (an earthy-red colour)
   "typified the spirit of renunciation and symbolised an ideal common to
   the Hindu yogis and sanyasis as well as the Muslim fakirs and
   darveshes." The Sikhs also stepped up the demand to either include a
   yellow colour that would represent them, or abandon religious symbolism
   altogether.
   The proposed saffron flag with the brown chakra in 1931.
   Enlarge
   The proposed saffron flag with the brown chakra in 1931.

   In light of these developments, the Congress Working Committee
   appointed a seven member Flag Committee on 1931- 04-02 to sort out
   these issues. A resolution was passed noting that "objection has been
   taken to the three colours in the flag on the ground that they are
   conceived on the communal basis." The unlikely result of these
   confabulations was a flag featuring just one colour, ochre, and a
   "Charkha" at upper hoist. Though recommended by the flag committee, the
   INC did not adopt this flag, as it seemed to project a communalistic
   ideology.
   The flag adopted in 1931 and used by the Provisional Government of Free
   India during the Second World War.
   Enlarge
   The flag adopted in 1931 and used by the Provisional Government of Free
   India during the Second World War.

   Later, the final resolution on a flag was passed when the Congress
   committee met at Karachi in 1931. The tricolour flag then adopted was
   designed by Pingali Venkayya. It featured three horizontal strips of
   saffron, white and green, with a "Charkha" in the centre. The colours
   were interpreted thus: saffron for courage; white for truth and peace;
   green for faith and prosperity. The "Charkha" symbolised the economic
   regeneration of India and the industriousness of its people.
   The flag used primarily by INA during World War II.
   Enlarge
   The flag used primarily by INA during World War II.

   At the same time a variant of the flag was being used by the Indian
   National Army that included the words "Azad Hind" with a springing
   tiger in lieu of the "Charkha" signifying Subhash Chandra Bose's
   violent methods as opposed to Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence. This
   tricolour was hoisted for the first time on Indian soil in Manipur by
   Subhash Chandra Bose though it was not the official version.

   A few days before India gained its freedom in August 1947, the
   Constituent Assembly was formed to discuss the flag of the India. They
   set up an ad hoc committee headed by Rajendra Prasad and consisting of
   Abul Kalam Azad, KM Panikar, Sarojini Naidu, C. Rajagopalachari, KM
   Munshi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as its members. The Flag Committee was
   constituted on 1947- 06-23 and it began deliberations on the issue.
   After three weeks they came to a decision on 14 July 1947, being that
   the flag of the Indian National Congress should be adopted as the
   National Flag of India with suitable modifications, to make it
   acceptable to all parties and communities. It was further resolved that
   the flag should not have any communal undertones. The "Dharma Chakra"
   which appears on the abacus of Sarnath was adopted in the place of the
   "Charkha". The flag was unfurled for the first time as that of an
   independent country on 15 August 1947.

Manufacturing process

                                                       CAPTION: Flag sizes

                                                          Size          mm
                                                           1   6300 × 4200
                                                           2   3600 × 2400
                                                           3   2700 × 1800
                                                           4   1800 × 1200
                                                           5   1350 × 900
                                                           6    900 × 600
                                                           7    450 × 300
                                                           8    225 × 150
                                                           9    150 × 100

   India's largest flag atop the Ministry building in Mumbai.
   Enlarge
   India's largest flag atop the Ministry building in Mumbai.
   Closeup of the flag.
   Enlarge
   Closeup of the flag.

   After India became a republic in 1950, the Bureau of Indian Standards
   (BIS) brought out the specifications for the flag for the first time in
   1951. 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. 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. These
   guidelines are extremely stringent and any defect in the manufacture of
   flags is considered to be a serious offence liable to a fine or a jail
   term or both.

   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 less 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, and one square foot should weigh exactly 205  grams.

   The woven khadi is obtained from two handloom units in Dharwad and
   Bagalkot districts of northern Karnataka. Currently there is only one
   licensed flag production unit in India which is based in Hubli.
   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.

   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.

   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.

Proper flag protocol

   Prior to 2002, the general public of India could not fly their national
   flag publicly except on designated national holidays. Only government
   offices and higher functionaries of the government could do so. An
   industrialist by name Naveen Jindal filed a Public interest petition in
   the Delhi High Court, seeking the striking down of this restriction.
   Jindal apparently flew the flag atop his office building, but as this
   was against the National flag code, the flag was confiscated and he was
   informed that he was liable to be prosecuted. Jindal argued that
   hoisting the National flag with due decorum and honour was his right as
   a citizen, and a way of expressing his love for India. The case moved
   to the Supreme Court of India, which asked the Government of India to
   set up a committee to consider the matter. The Union Cabinet amended
   the Indian flag code with effect from 26 January 2002, allowing the
   general public to hoist the flag on all days of the year, provided they
   safeguarded the dignity, honour and respect of the flag.

   In the case of Union of India v. Naveen Jindal, it was held that though
   the Flag Code is not a statute, restrictions under the Code need to be
   followed to preserve the dignity of the National Flag. The right to fly
   the National Flag is not an absolute right but a qualified right and
   should be read having regard to Article 51A of the Constitution.

Respect for the flag

   Indian law says that the flag must at all times be treated with
   "dignity, loyalty and respect". The "Flag Code of India – 2002", which
   superseded "The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act,
   1950", governs the display and usage of the flag. Official regulation
   states that the flag must never touch the ground or water, be used as a
   tablecloth or draped in front of a platform, cover a statue, plaque,
   cornerstone etc. Until 2005, the flag could not be used in clothing,
   uniform or costume. On 5 July 2005, the Government of India amended the
   code, allowing use of the flag as clothing and uniform. It however
   cannot be used as clothing below the waist or as undergarments. It is
   also prohibited to embroider the national flag and other symbols onto
   pillowcases or neckerchiefs.

   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.

Handling of the flag

   Correct display of the flag.

   There are a number of traditional rules of respect that should be
   observed when handling or displaying the flag. When out in the open,
   the flag should always be hoisted at sunrise and lowered at sunset,
   irrespective of the weather conditions. The flag may be also flown on a
   public building at night under special circumstances.

   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 also
   insulting to display the flag in a frayed or dirty state. The same rule
   applies to the flagpoles and halyards used to hoist the flag, which
   should always be in a proper state of maintenance.

Correct display

   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.

With other countries

   When the National Flag is flown outdoors in company with the national
   flags of other countries, there are several rules that govern the ways
   in which the flag must be flown, specifically that it must always
   occupy the position of honour. This means it must be the flag furthest
   to the right (observers' left) of all the flags on display, with the
   flags of other countries being arranged alphabetically according to the
   English alphabet. All the flags should be approximately the same size,
   with no flag being larger than the Indian flag. Each country's flag
   should be on a separate pole, with no national flag being flown on top
   of another from the same pole.

   It would be permissible in such a case to begin and also to end the row
   of flags with the Indian flag and also include it in the normal country
   wise alphabetical order. In case flags are to be flown in a closed
   circle, the national flag shall mark the beginning of the circle and
   the flags of other countries should proceed in a clockwise manner until
   the last flag is placed next to the national flag. The Indian flag must
   always be hoisted first and lowered last.

   When the flag is displayed on crossed poles, the Indian flag's pole
   should be in front and the flag to the right (observers' left) of the
   other flag. When the United Nations flag is flown along with the Indian
   flag, it can be displayed on either side of it. The general practice is
   to fly the flag on the extreme right with reference to the direction
   which it is facing.

With non-national flags

   When the flag is displayed with other flags that are not national
   flags, such as 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.

Showing the flag indoors

   Whenever the flag is displayed indoors in the 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.

Parades and ceremonies

   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.

Display on vehicles

   The privilege of flying the national flag on a vehicle is restricted to
   the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors and Lt.
   Governors, Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and Junior Cabinet
   members of the Indian Parliament and state legislatures, Speakers of
   the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, Chairmen of the Rajya
   Sabha and state legislative councils, judges of the Supreme Court of
   India and High Courts, and high ranking officers of the army, navy and
   air force.

   They may fly the flag on their cars, whenever they consider it
   necessary or advisable. The flag shall be flown from a staff, which
   should be affixed firmly either on the middle front of the bonnet 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 and the flag of the foreign country should be flown on the
   left side of the car.

   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 but, when the aircraft lands in countries en route, the
   national flags of the countries touched would be flown instead, as a
   gesture of courtesy and goodwill. When the President goes on tour
   within India, the flag should be displayed on the side by which the
   President will embark the aircraft or disembark from it. When the
   President travels by special train within the country, the flag should
   be flown from the driver’s cab on the side facing the platform of the
   station from where the train departs. The flag should be flown only
   when the special train is stationary or when coming into the station
   where it is going to halt.

Half-mast

   The flag should be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning only on
   instructions from the president, who will also give a date ending the
   mourning period. 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. Before being lowered at sunset or at the appropriate time, the
   flag 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 at half-mast for the death of the President,
   Vice-President and Prime Minister all over India. For the Speaker of
   the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of The Supreme Court of India, it
   is flown in Delhi and for a Union Cabinet Minister it is flown in Delhi
   and the state capitals. For Minister of State, it is flown only in
   Delhi. For a Governor, Lt. Governor and Chief Minister of a state or
   union territory it is flown in the concerned state.

   If the intimation of the death of any dignitary is received in the
   afternoon, the flag shall be flown at half-mast on the following day
   also at the place or places indicated above, provided the funeral has
   not taken place before sun-rise on that day. On the day of the funeral
   of a dignitary mentioned above, the flag shall be flown at half-mast at
   the place of the funeral.

   In the event of a half-mast day coinciding with the Republic Day,
   Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, National Week (6th to 13th
   April), any other particular day of national rejoicing as may be
   specified by the Government of India or in the case of a state, on the
   anniversary of formation of that state, flags are not permitted to be
   flown at half-mast except over the building where the body of the
   deceased is lying until such time it has been removed and that flag
   shall be raised to the full-mast position after the body has been
   removed.

   Observances of State mourning on the death of foreign dignitaries are
   governed by special instructions issued from the Ministry of Home
   Affairs (Home Ministry) 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 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.

Disposal

   When no longer in a fit condition to be used, a flag should be disposed
   of in a dignified manner, preferably by burning or ground burial.

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