The Quest for a National Symbol
The journey towards a national flag began long before 1947, evolving alongside the freedom struggle. Early in the 20th century, various flags were proposed and flown by nationalists. One of the first was hoisted in 1906 in Calcutta, featuring stripes
of red, yellow, and green. Another, designed by Madam Bhikaji Cama, was unfurled in Paris in 1907. These early designs were crucial steps, reflecting a growing desire for a single symbol to unify the diverse strands of the independence movement against colonial rule. The need was felt deeply; Indian soldiers in the British Army, for instance, had to salute the Union Jack, a constant reminder of their subordinate status. This spurred freedom fighters to conceptualize a flag that was uniquely Indian.
Gandhi's Vision and Pingali Venkayya's Design
The movement for a national flag gained significant momentum under Mahatma Gandhi. In 1921, he wrote about the necessity of a flag in his journal 'Young India'. At the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session in Bezwada (now Vijayawada) that same year, a young freedom fighter and agriculturist named Pingali Venkayya presented a design to Gandhi. Venkayya, who had extensively studied the flags of 30 other nations, proposed a flag with two stripes: red for Hindus and green for Muslims. At Gandhi's suggestion, a white stripe was added to represent other communities, and a spinning wheel (charkha) was placed at the centre to symbolise self-reliance and the progress of the nation. This design, known as the Swaraj Flag, became a powerful emblem of the freedom struggle, used informally at Congress meetings throughout the 1920s.
From Spinning Wheel to Wheel of Law
In 1931, the Indian National Congress passed a formal resolution adopting a tricolour, solidifying the colours as saffron, white, and green, with the charkha still at its heart. The colours were given a more secular interpretation: saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for peace and truth, and green for faith and fertility. As independence drew near, the Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting the constitution for the new nation, formed an ad hoc committee on June 23, 1947, to select a national flag. This committee, which included luminaries like Dr. Rajendra Prasad and B.R. Ambedkar, decided to adapt the Swaraj Flag. The most significant change was replacing the charkha with the Ashoka Chakra (Wheel of Law) in navy blue. This choice linked the new nation to its ancient past, specifically to the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, and symbolized dharma, motion, and continuous progress.
A Flag for a Free India
On July 22, 1947, twenty-four days before India's independence, Jawaharlal Nehru moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly to adopt the new flag. Presenting the flag, he spoke of the history it represented, calling it “a flag of freedom not only for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people who may see it.” He acknowledged the struggles, sacrifices, and dreams woven into its fabric. The resolution described the flag as a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron, white, and dark green in equal proportion, with the Ashoka Chakra at the centre of the white band. The resolution was passed unanimously. This act officially gave the soon-to-be-free nation its most enduring symbol.
