Last Update: January 24, 2023, 09:25 IST
Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament Rajmohan Unnithan, who was present on the occasion, termed the incident as “unfortunate” and demanded action from the government. (Image: shutterstock)
Republic Day 2023: The saffron color of the flag represents courage. The white part represents peace and truth and the Ashoka Chakra represents Dharma or the moral law.
Happy Republic Day 2023: India will celebrate its 74th Republic Day on 26 January this year. This was the day when the Constitution of India came into force in 1950. On this day the right of Indian citizens to choose their government is remembered. It is a national holiday that honors the creation of the Indian Constitution.
Do you know the significance of our national flag and how it has changed over the years? Here’s a look:
first national flag
The first national flag of India was designed by Sister Nivedita in 1904. It was a red colored flag with yellow stripes on the edges, a thunderbolt in the center with the words Vande Mataram on either side.
first tricolor flag
On August 7, 1906, the first tricolor flag was hoisted at the Parsi Bagan Square (Greer Park) in Kolkata. It had three horizontal bands of blue, yellow and red, with eight stars representing the eight provinces of India at that time and the words Vande Mataram inscribed in the yellow band. The red band below depicts the sun and a crescent moon and star.
Read also: Republic Day 2023: Why is January 26 celebrated as Republic Day? History and Significance
Madam Bhikaji Cama hoisted a similar flag on August 22, 1907 in Stuttgart, Germany.
flag with union jack
In 1917, a third flag appeared, with the Union Jack, five red and four horizontal bands, seven stars and a crescent with a star. It was hoisted by Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak during the Home Rule Movement.
Swaraj flag
The Swaraj flag was designed by freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya in 1921. The top band was white, the middle band green and the bottom band red. A charkha or spinning wheel was spread over three squares and represented India’s independence from British rule.
Ashok Chakra replaces Charkha
In 1931, the green band moved to the top, the white band with the spinning wheel inside it in the middle and saffron replaced the red below. After India’s independence, Dr. Rajendra Prasad replaced the Charkha with the Ashok Chakra.
current flag
The current flag was adopted as the flag of the Dominion of India by the Constituent Assembly on July 22, 1947. When India became a republic, the design was retained.
Importance
The saffron color of the flag signifies courage. The white part represents peace and truth and the Ashoka Chakra represents Dharma or the moral law. The green stripe represents fertility, growth and auspiciousness.
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