What is the significance of India’s tricolor? India’s national flag symbolizes the pride, hope and aspirations of the people. In regard to the tricolor, Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions of people have died for it. No doubt, it is idolatry, and to destroy it would be a sin. Flags represent ideals. To live and to die under a common flag is the task of all Indians, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Parsis and all other people who have made this country their home’, Mahatma Gandhi said.
Who designed the national flag?
Pingali Venkayya, a freedom fighter and follower of Mahatma Gandhi, designed the Indian tricolor, from which the Indian flag is derived.
The history
In 1921, Pingali Venkayya designed the flag of India and presented it to Mahatma Gandhi during a meeting of the All India Congress Committee in Vijaywada. Back then, Indian flags were composed of green and saffron colors, representing Hindu and Muslim communities. Mahatma Gandhi later added the white stripe and the spinning wheel to the flag, after which it was unofficially adopted. The Indian National Congress first used his version of the tricolor.
The tricolor flag was adopted as our national flag in 1931. Mahatma Gandhi’s spinning wheel was at the center of the saffron, white, and green flag. During the Constituent Assembly’s session on July 22, 1947, the flag became the national flag of Free India. In the aftermath of independence, in place of the spinning wheel, the Dharma Charkha of Emperor Asoka was replaced as the national emblem.
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What does the tricolor stand for?
The top band of saffron represents the strength and courage of the country, the middle band of white with the Dharma Chakra stands for peace and truth, while the bottom band of green represents growth, fertility and auspiciousness of the country.
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