New Delhi: Every free nation of the world has its own flag. It is a symbol of a free country. On July 22, 1947, the tricolour flag or Tiranga comprising colours saffron, white and green with the Ashok Chakra was adopted as the National Flag of India.
The National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during the meeting of Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, a few days before India’s independence from the British on 15 August, 1947. It 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. In India, the term “tricolour” refers to the Indian national flag.
The Indian National Flag or Tiranga, as it is known in Hindi, is based on the Swaraj Flag, which was designed by Pingali Venkayya and was first flown in 1923.
The National flag of India is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes.
Each colour of the flag has a meaning. The saffron represents strength and courage, the white indicates peace and truth with the Dharma Chakra, and green shows fertility, growth and auspiciousness.
According to government website, the first national flag is said to have been hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Kolkata. The flag was composed of three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green.
On January 26, 2002, the Indian flag code was modified and after several years of Independence, the citizens of India were finally allowed to hoist the Indian flag over their homes, offices and factories on any day, and not just national days, as was the case earlier.
