history of indian national flag

National Flag

Tricolor 

1-The Indian national flag is a horizontal tricolor with deep saffron on the top (representing courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation), white in the middle (standing for purity and truth) and dark green at the bottom (for faith and fertility).

2-The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra - the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. It has 24 spokes.

History 

3-In the early l9Oos, Madame Bhikaiji Cama and her group of exiled revolutionaries hoisted a flag in Paris , symbolizing the Indian people's aspiration to nationhood. This is widely accepted as the first flag in the Indian freedom movement, though some historians believe the "first" flag was actually unfurled at the Parsi Bagan Square in Calcutta on August 7, 1906.

4- The Paris banner had a red band with a white lotus flower and seven stars to denote the Milky Way; a yellow band with Vande Mataram inscribed in deep blue Devanagri script; a green band with a sun on the left and a crescent-and-star symbol on the right, both in white.

5-Nine years later, during the Home Rule Movement, Dr Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak presented yet another flag; this one had five alternating horizontal stripes of red and green, a Union Jack in the left top corner reflecting the demand of the day that India be given dominion status within the British Empire, the Milky Way in the centre, and a crescent-and-star in the right top corner. The rising tide of nationalism quickly made the flag unacceptable.

6-In 1921, during the session of the All-India Congress Committee at Bezwada (now Vijayawada), a student from Masulipatnam's National College presented Mahatma Gandhi with a flag of red and green, the colours representing the two major Indian communities, the Hindus and the Muslims. Gandhi suggested the addition of a white stripe to symbolize the rest of India 's communities, and a charkha (spinning wheel) to symbolize the masses of India.

7-The tricolour, officially adopted as the national emblem by the Congress at its 1931 Karachi session presided over by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, held no communal undertones. The flag had a band of deep saffron to symbolize courage and sacrifice, a band of white imprinted with a blue charkha for truth, and a band of dark green for faith and chivalry. On July 22, 1947, three weeks before Independence , the Constituent Assembly adopted the tricolour as India 's National Flag, but replaced the charkha with the Asoka Chakra, which appears on the abacus of the Lion Pillar at Sarnath.

The Flag Code

7-In 1950, to guard the national flag against desecration, Parliament included a section in The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, forbidding its use in any trade mark or design unless permitted by the Central Government.

8-Later in 1971 it passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, stipulating three years' imprisonment or fine, or both, for anyone who, in public view, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples on or otherwise brings the National Flag into contempt.

On 26th January 2002, the flag code was changed drastically.

9- Earlier, the flag was allowed to be flown daily only from important public buildings such as the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Supreme Court, border posts, and official residences of the President and Vice-President, governors and lieutenant governors.

10-Now, apart from basic rules to follow while flying the flags, all other restrictions have been removed, and Indians can fly the tricolor over their homes, offices and factories on any day.

Rules of Use

11-The Flag should be hoisted at sunrise and lowered at sunset. It may be displayed after sunset only on very special occasions. It should be raised briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously. No other flag or bunting should fly above the tricolour and none beside it, except for the UN flag and other national flags, which may be hung to the left. No flowers, garlands or emblems may be placed on the flagmast, nor any other flag flown on the same pole.