Significance of Indian National Flag

A National Flag is not just a piece of cloth, but it symbolizes the most sacred values a country stands for. In short, it represents the country itself. This is the reason why we salute or stand up when seeing a national Flag. Arthur Marcy once said “Cheers for the sailors that fought on the wave for it, Cheers for the soldiers that always were brave for it, Tears for the men that went down to the grave for it, Here comes the flag!”

Indian national flag is horizontal, rectangular in shape with tri-color, saffron, white and green. The center of the flag is a blue wheel or chakra with 24 spokes. The flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India and is a symbol of national pride. The significance of the colors and the chakra in the National Flag was amply described by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the first president of India. Bhagwa or the saffron color denotes renunciation of disinterestedness. It means that the leaders of this country must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the center means light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green symbolizes our relation to soil, our relation to the plant life here on which all other life depends. The Ashoka Wheel in the center 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. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change. This Dharma Chakra depicted the “wheel of the law” in the Sarnath, the Lion Capital made by the 3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka

The flag was originally designed by Sri. Pingali Venkaya in 1921 with a traditional spinning wheel in the middle. Later, the Tradition spinning wheel was replaced by Ashoka Chakra. Later, the National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during the meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947. The flag is respectfully hosted on national festivals like independence day and republic day.