Independence Day 2022: History, Evolution & Significance Of Indian National Flag

The first national flag in India is said to have been hoisted back on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Indian National Flag ( Image Source :Getty Images )

Independence Day 2022: The country is all set to celebrate it’s 75^th Independence Day on August 15 (Monday). In a bid to encourage the people to fly the national flags at their homes on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign on August 2. As we near the special day, let us revisit the history and evolution of the national flag or Tiranga.

History and Evolution of the national flag

It is to be noted that the Indian national flag had to sail through a series of vicissitudes to arrive at what it is today.

The first national flag in India is said to have been hoisted back on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Kolkata, West Bengal. The national flag then was composed of three horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green.

Notably, Mahatma Gandhi had once said why India should have its own flag and had said, "A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions have died for it. It is no doubt a kind of idolatry which would be a sin to destroy. It will be necessary for us Indians Muslims, Christians Jews, Parsis, and all others to whom India is their home-to recognize a common flag to live and to die for."

The second national flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907. This flag was, however, very similar to the first flag. However, the lotus on the top strip was replaced by stars, that denoted the Saptarishi.

The third flag was hoisted by Dr Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak in the year 1917, during the Home Rule Movement. Notably, this was the time when the political struggle in India was taking a definite turn. This flag was very different from the first two. It featured red and green horizontal stripes, seven stars in the saptarishi configuration, the Union Jack, along with a white crescent and star.

Then, the fourth flag was unofficially adopted in the year 1921. An Andhra youth prepared a flag and took it to Mahatma Gandhi during a session of the All India Congress Committee.

The flag had two colours - red and green - that represented the Hindu and Muslim community in the country. Gandhi added the white strip to represent the remaining communities and the spinning wheel to symbolise the nation's progress.

Notably, the year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the evolution the Indian national flag, after a resolution was passed to adopt a tricolour as the national flag.

The tricolour featured saffron, white and green bands with Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel at the centre. It was clearly stated that the flag bore no communal significance and was to be interpreted consequently.

Finally, the present-day tricolour came after the Indian independence. The colour and significance of the previous flag remained the same, while the Dharma Charkha of Emperor Asoka was adopted in place of the spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag.

Colours of the national flag

Notably, the present-day national flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. A Navy blue wheel that symbolises the chakra is present in the middle of the white band.

The saffron on top indicates strength and courage of the country; white indicates peace and truth; and green represents fertility, growth, and auspiciousness of our land.

Dharma Chakra represents the "wheel of the law" in the Sarnath Lion Capital by the 3^rd century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. It denotes there is life in movement and death in stagnation.