Another INDEPENDENCE DAY is here. Enjoying 69 years of Freedom, spirit of patriotism now runs on a different course. Independent India is now accustomed to tri-coloured profile pictures, 'Vande Matram' status quotes, 'Happy Independence Day' messages and obviously the 'Salute' selfies. But these are after all trends, not the tradition. Still few people are there in our society, according to whom an Independence day remains incomplete if the National Flag is not hoisted and the National Anthem is not sung. So accepting the very fact that the National Tri-Colour is the inseparable part of Independence Day, let us have a glance at the Tri-Colour facts and figures.
The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of deep saffron, white and India green, with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24 spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22nd July, 1947, when it became the official flag of the Dominion of India. The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya. [Extract from Wikipedia]
But the intriguing fact is, during the last 70 years of colonial rule, at least 7-8 different types of National Flags were used in the independence movement, the First of which was Hoisted in Calcutta in 1906, later on popularly known as the Calcutta Flag.
Prior to the coming of the British, each kingdom has its own insignia. Since there was no political unity, there was no official flag of India. The Sepoy Mutiny or the Indian Rebellion of 1857, famously cited as India's First War of Independence, was fought under the green banner of 'last mughal' Bahadur Shah Zafar II. In one sense the official flag was the Union Jack which was lowered only when India gained Independence. Though the British allowed the princely states to fly their own emblem, But Indians were not allowed to unfurl their own flag.
The concept of a national flag was first introduced by Sris Chandra Basu, a bengali scholar, born in Lahore. He founded Indian National Society (INS) in 1883 in the line of Indian Association. He designed the national standard as a traditional swallow-tail featuring the 'Sun in its splendour' in the middle. The flag was paraded by members of the society on the streets of Lahore.
The necessity of a national flag was felt during the mighty upsurge of nationalist and patriotic feelings during Second Swadeshi Movement which came in the wake of Curzon's ill-fated decision to split Bengal. Since there was no erstwhile flag which could be used during the agitation, the members of the revolutionary group Anushilan Samity, decided to design a flag and hoist it. The inspiration for the flag had come from the French tri-colour and the mottos of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Known as the Calcutta Flag, this was designed by Sachindra Prasad Basu, secretary of the Anti-Circular Society and Sukumar Mitter, a close associate of Aurobindo Ghosh.
But there remains some controversy regarding the design of the Calcutta Flag. According to K V Singh's Our National Flag and P T Nair's Indian National Symbols, the flag was a horizontal tri-colour of green over yellow over red. The green band had eight lotuses - signifying the eight provinces of the country. The middle band had 'Vande Mataram' inscribed in Devnagari script in blue and finally on the red band at the bottom, there was a shining sun on the left and a crescent moon and star on the right - signifying the Hindu and Muslim communities respectively. While the other popular views suggest that the arrangement of the colour bands were different, the red at the top, followed by yellow and then green.
The flag was hoisted on 7th August, 1906 to protest against the partition of Bengal. Barrister Pramathanath Mitra who headed Anushilan Samity hoisted the flag at Greer Park of Parsibagan Square which was presently located at 294/2 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, just beside Brahmo Girls School, near Rajabazar. The park was previously named after the former Chairman of Corporation of Calcutta, R T Greer. Now it has been renamed as Sadhana Sarkar Udyan. The reason behind the selection of the venue might be the fact that in those days, Parsibagan was the hot bed of nationalism.
The Calcutta Flag continued to inspire revolutionaries and other freedom fighters for years to come. Madame Bhikaji Rustom Cama hoisted the second flag in Stuttgart, Germany on 22nd August, 1907 which was also inspired by the Calcutta Flag.
22 years after Madame Cama's historic unfurling of the flag, the tri-colour was officially accepted and the resolution of independence was accepted by the Congress on 31st December, 1929.
With independence the Charkha on the tri-colour replaced by the Chakra or the Wheel and accepted as the National Flag. When it flutters, it bears the legacy of those who made innumerable sacrifices to win this freedom for us.
Acknowledgement:
Prior to the coming of the British, each kingdom has its own insignia. Since there was no political unity, there was no official flag of India. The Sepoy Mutiny or the Indian Rebellion of 1857, famously cited as India's First War of Independence, was fought under the green banner of 'last mughal' Bahadur Shah Zafar II. In one sense the official flag was the Union Jack which was lowered only when India gained Independence. Though the British allowed the princely states to fly their own emblem, But Indians were not allowed to unfurl their own flag.
The concept of a national flag was first introduced by Sris Chandra Basu, a bengali scholar, born in Lahore. He founded Indian National Society (INS) in 1883 in the line of Indian Association. He designed the national standard as a traditional swallow-tail featuring the 'Sun in its splendour' in the middle. The flag was paraded by members of the society on the streets of Lahore.
The necessity of a national flag was felt during the mighty upsurge of nationalist and patriotic feelings during Second Swadeshi Movement which came in the wake of Curzon's ill-fated decision to split Bengal. Since there was no erstwhile flag which could be used during the agitation, the members of the revolutionary group Anushilan Samity, decided to design a flag and hoist it. The inspiration for the flag had come from the French tri-colour and the mottos of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Known as the Calcutta Flag, this was designed by Sachindra Prasad Basu, secretary of the Anti-Circular Society and Sukumar Mitter, a close associate of Aurobindo Ghosh.
But there remains some controversy regarding the design of the Calcutta Flag. According to K V Singh's Our National Flag and P T Nair's Indian National Symbols, the flag was a horizontal tri-colour of green over yellow over red. The green band had eight lotuses - signifying the eight provinces of the country. The middle band had 'Vande Mataram' inscribed in Devnagari script in blue and finally on the red band at the bottom, there was a shining sun on the left and a crescent moon and star on the right - signifying the Hindu and Muslim communities respectively. While the other popular views suggest that the arrangement of the colour bands were different, the red at the top, followed by yellow and then green.
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| Varied Designs of Calcutta Flag |
The flag was hoisted on 7th August, 1906 to protest against the partition of Bengal. Barrister Pramathanath Mitra who headed Anushilan Samity hoisted the flag at Greer Park of Parsibagan Square which was presently located at 294/2 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, just beside Brahmo Girls School, near Rajabazar. The park was previously named after the former Chairman of Corporation of Calcutta, R T Greer. Now it has been renamed as Sadhana Sarkar Udyan. The reason behind the selection of the venue might be the fact that in those days, Parsibagan was the hot bed of nationalism.
The Calcutta Flag continued to inspire revolutionaries and other freedom fighters for years to come. Madame Bhikaji Rustom Cama hoisted the second flag in Stuttgart, Germany on 22nd August, 1907 which was also inspired by the Calcutta Flag.
22 years after Madame Cama's historic unfurling of the flag, the tri-colour was officially accepted and the resolution of independence was accepted by the Congress on 31st December, 1929.
With independence the Charkha on the tri-colour replaced by the Chakra or the Wheel and accepted as the National Flag. When it flutters, it bears the legacy of those who made innumerable sacrifices to win this freedom for us.
Acknowledgement:
- Article on Calcutta Flag by Anindita Majumdar in Kolkata on Wheels magazine.
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