Flag of India

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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

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5] 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 Indian Flag Code.^[5]

Contents 1 Design and symbolism 2 History 2.1 Indian Independence Movement 2.2 Flag of Independent India 3 Manufacturing process 4 Flag protocol 4.1 Respect for the flag 4.2 Handling of the flag 4.3 Indoor display 4.4 Outdoor display 4.4.1 Parades and ceremonies 4.4.2 Display on vehicles 4.4.3 With flags of other countries 4.4.4 With non-national flags 4.4.5 Half-mast 4.5 Disposal 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Design and symbolism

The flag was designed in 1921 by Pingali Venkayya, an agriculturist from Machilipatnam.^[4][6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

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.^[3] 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:

“

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.[5]

”

[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 was designed based on western heraldic standards was similar 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.^[9][10]

[edit] Indian Independence Movement

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.^[9] 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, something 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.^[11] 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. ^[12]

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.^[13] The first flag in tricolour was unfurled in 1906 at Calcutta.^[14]

[edit] Flag of Independent India

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, Sarojini Naidu, C. Rajagopalachari, KM Munshi and B.R. Ambedkar as its members. The Flag Committee was constituted on 23 June 1947 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.^[15] The "Dharma Chakra" which appears on the abacus of Sarnath was adopted in the place of the "Charkha", and the final resolution was taken on 22nd July 1947.^[6] The flag was unfurled for the first time as that of an independent country on 15 August 1947.^[15]

[edit] Manufacturing process

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.^[15] 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.^[16]

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,^[16] and one square foot should weigh exactly 205 grams.^[15][17]

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.^[15] 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.^[15]

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.^[16]

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.^[17]

Flag size[5]	Length and width in millimetres
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

[edit] Flag protocol

Prior to 2001, the general public of India could not fly their national flag publicly except on designated national holidays. An industrialist, 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, violating the Flag Code of India. The flag was confiscated and he was warned of prosecution. 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.^[18][19] 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.^[15] 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 19A of the Constitution.^[15] 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 upto three years, or a fine, or both.^[20]

[edit] 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.^[21] It is also prohibited to embroider the national flag and other symbols onto pillowcases or neckerchiefs.^[22] 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.^[5]

[edit] Handling 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.^[5]

[edit] Indoor 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.^[5]

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.^[5]

[edit] Outdoor display

[edit] 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.^[5]

[edit] 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 Officers of Flag-rank 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, the flag of the foreign country being flown on the left side.

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.^[5]

[edit] With flags of 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 Latin 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 is permissible in such a case to begin and end the row 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 National flag of India 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.^[5]

[edit] 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.^[5]

[edit] Half-mast

The flag should be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning only on instructions from the president who also gives 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. Also, the flag shall be flown at half-mast at the place of the funeral.

On Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, National Week (6th to 13 April), the anniversary of formation of that state or any other particular day of national rejoicing as may be specified by the Government of India, flags are not permitted to be flown at half-mast except over the building housing the body of the deceased. Such a flag must be raised to the full-mast position if the body is removed before the mourning period ends.

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.^[5]

[edit] Disposal

When the flag is in a damaged or soiled condition, it may not be cast aside or disrespectfully disposed of, but shall be destroyed as a whole in private, preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the flag. ^[5]

[edit] See also

• List of Indian flags
• National Emblem of India
• Ashoka Chakra
• Flag Code of India
• Similarity with other 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

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