The Bharateeya National Flag is based on the Swaraj Flag which was designed by Pingali Venkayya.The National Flag was created during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly on July 22, 1947.
The law stipulates that the flag is to be made of khadi or hand-spun cloth only. Raw material for khadi is restricted to cotton , wool or silk. The Bureau of Indian Standards lays down the manufacturing process and specification for the flag. The right to manufacture the flag is held by the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission, who further allocates it to the regional groups.
The Flag Code of Bharat and other laws relating to the national emblems govern the rules about the usage of the flag. Earlier , as per the code , the private citizens were not allowed to use the flag except on the occasions of the national days. However , acting upon a PIL, the Supreme Court has also allowed its use by the private citizens in 2002.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan explained the meaning behind the different colours of the Indian National Flag as follows:
“Bhagwa or the Saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The White in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The Green shows are 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 principles of those who work under this flag. Again, the Wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is Life in movement. Bharat should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The Wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.”
The Blue Wheel in the centre of the flag is placed on the White stripe; and it must be visible from both the sides. It has 24 spokes or the 24 hours in a day and equals ¾ of the height of the White band.
Nirmal Joshi
( Courtesy: Wah Bharat )
