Happy Independence Day to all!
And now, some quick facts about the Indian Flag. I was shocked to find that most people have no idea of what the colors stand for. School children know, of course 🙂
So here goes:
Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. Saffron denotes courage and sacrifice.
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. Ashoka Chakra is navy blue in color as it represents the color of sky and ocean. It is kept in between the white strip of the tiranga to indicate the most truth of the universe.
Ashoka Chakra was adopted in the National flag to represent the Dharma and Law. All 24 spokes represent Love, Courage, Patience, Peacefulness, Magnanimity, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Selflessness, Self-Control, Self Sacrifice, Truthfulness, Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, Gracefulness, Humility, Empathy, Sympathy, Spiritual Knowledge, Moral Values, Spiritual Wisdom, The Fear of God and Faith (Belief or Hope)
Some Interesting facts about the National Flag-
- The Indian flag must be made of Khadi.
- The Indian flag was hoisted on the highest mountain peak of the world, Mount Everest, on 29 May 1953.
- Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama was the first person to hoist Indian flag on foreign soil on 22 August 1907 in Stuttgrat, Germany.
- The Indian National Flag flew into space in 1984 when Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space. The flag was attached as a medallion on the space suit of Sharma.
- The National Flag hoisted at Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi, is one of the largest in India. It is 90 feet in length, 60 feet in width and is hoisted on a flagpole of 207 feet.
- India holds the world record for the largest human flag which was formed by 50,000 volunteers in Chennai in December 2014.
- The Indian National flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya in the year 1931.
- The dimension of the flag should be of 2:3 ratio, i.e. the length should be 1.5 times the breadth. The three stripes of Saffron, white and green colour should be equal in size and Ashoka Chakra should be in the middle of the flag.
- The Indian National flag was adopted on 22 July 1947
- The first national flag in India was hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta now Kolkata.
Here’s a beautiful song by Mohd Rafi describing our country gloriously.
https://youtu.be/BeqcIyuNVZI
