Independence Day 2020: Know 8 Interesting Facts About India’s National Flag

India will be celebrating the 74th Independence Day today. Here are some interesting facts about the tricolour.

(Photo: PTI/File)

Independence Day 2020: This year the nation celebrates the 74^th Independence day this year. The occasion sees aa grand celebration and the Prime Minister addresses the nation from the Red Fort in New Delhi This will be the 7th time when PM Modi will be addressing the nation. He will also unfurl the national flag on the occasion. It was on July 22, 1947, that India adopted the tricolour as its National flag. There is a code of conduct on how the flag should be hoisted and handled, for example, it can never be placed on the ground. Here are some interesting facts about the national flag

• The design is attributed to Pingali Venkayya. He was a freedom fighter who met Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa during the second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).
• It was supposedly, Mahatama Gandhi who suggested to add a white band to represent peace and diversity of the rest of communities living in the country. also suggested adding a spinning wheel to symbolise the progress of the country.

(Image PTI)

• The Ashok Chakra with 24 spokes replaced the spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag.
• Changes to the design continued to be made till 1931.

• The Congress Committee met in Karachi and adopted the tricolour as our national flag in 1931.
• Venkayya, was posthumously honoured for his contribution to the freedom struggle with a postage stamp in 2009.
• The meaning of the colour in the flag -Saffron symbolises 'strength and courage', white represents 'peace and truth' and green stands for 'fertility, growth, and auspiciousness of the land'. The Ashok Chakra symbolises, 'there is life in movement and death in stagnation.
• On August 7, 1906, the first national flag of India is said to have been hoisted in Kolkata at the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park). The flag comprised three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green, with Vande Mataram written in the middle.