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The Hindu
6 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Watch: Did you know that only one village in India makes the national flag?
Today is National Flag Day, and here's something most people don't know. Only one village in the entire country is authorised to make the Indian national flag. That village is Bengeri, located near Hubballi in Karnataka. Here lies the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha, or KKGSS. It is the only unit in India certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to manufacture the national flag. The process begins in Tulasigeri, a village in Karnataka's Bagalkot district. Here, hand-spun khadi cloth is woven, as required by the Flag Code of India, which mandates that the national flag must be made from hand-spun and handwoven khadi. This cloth is sent to KKGSS in Bengeri, where it goes through dyeing, screen printing, stitching, and quality checks. Each flag is made according to strict specifications set by the BIS and the Flag Code: the flag must follow a 3:2 ratio, the Ashoka Chakra must have 24 spokes, evenly spaced, the colours, saffron, white, and green, must match standardised shades KKGSS produces the flag in nine official sizes, ranging from small desktop flags to large flags used on government buildings. The organisation has a predominantly female workforce, and most parts of the flag-making process, including stitching, are done by hand. The unit was established in 1957 by freedom fighter Venkatesh Magadi. In 2006, it received official recognition to manufacture the Indian national flag. The flags made in Bengeri are used across the country, at government offices, embassies, ceremonial events, and national holidays. Even the flag hoisted at the Red Fort during Independence Day celebrations is made in this small village. Credits Presentation: Yuvasree S Video: Thamodharan B Script and Production: Shikha Kumari A
India Today
10 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Before the tricolour, there were symbols: A timeline of India's historical identity
The tricolour in the hands of school children is one of the most common sights on the streets during August 15 and January 26. The tricolour, which is now India's pride, was not always the same -- it took years to come into 1947, as different factions were fighting for India's independence, it gave them the chance to design various versions of a flag that could be used against British rule. This journey began in have you ever wondered what India's great kings like Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, Harshavardhan, or rulers from the Gupta Empire, used as a flag? Back then, the boundaries were not like they are today, and maps looked very different from our present-day context. Flags still existed, but in a different form. They represented empires, dynasties, and authority, and in many ways, symbolised rule over the land we now call India. Over centuries, the land has been referred to as Bharata, Aryavarta, or, in later periods, we explore how the flags/symbols of several empires came to represent this land across different centuries.A flag, in any nation, is a symbol that unites citizens under one visible expression of pride and identity. Historians say that a flag is something that reminds us of who we are and where we belong. Reconstruction of Mauryan Flag as mentioned by Chanakya (Image: Wikimedia Commons) Sadan Jha, in his book, Reverence, Resistance and Politics of Seeing the Indian National Flag writes: "History reveals that the flag does not merely act as an entry point in unearthing meanings of political and cultural practices, but also becomes a site where claims of nationhood and citizenship are made, resisted, and negotiated."FLAGS BEFORE THE TRICOLOURBefore the modern idea of a nation-state, flags in India were markers of dynasties and empires. These were the symbols of political authority, military identity, and spiritual the Mauryan Empire, the most recognisable symbol was the Ashoka Chakra, seen on pillars and coins. While no fixed rectangular flag survives from that era, the chakra, as a symbol, was used to project state Ashoka turned to Buddhism, the dharma chakra spread across his empire as an emblem of moral and administrative Guptas, who presided over a classical age of learning and administration, used garuda-like symbols on their coinage and and sculptures suggest flags were flown from military chariots and city were less about nationhood and more about dynasty and in the early medieval period, the Chalukyas and Palas used flags as insignia during war and the rise of the Rajputs and the Chauhans, flags began to represent valour and clan flags were often painted with family symbols, animals, or war Rajput banner was held high during battles against both invaders and rival kingdoms. It represented honour, not UNDER SULTANATES AND MUGHALSWhen the Delhi Sultanate rose to power, flags began to follow Islamic heraldry, solid colours, crescents, calligraphic Mughals, as successors, brought a more imperial approach. Their banners were recorded in chronicles like the Mughal standard often featured a green backdrop with symbols of the lion and sun, combining Islamic symbolism with a claim to universal Mughal empire, at its peak, unified much of India, and its standard came to be seen as the umbrella under which India functioned, if not fully united. Flag of Mughal empire (Image: Wikimedia Commons) However, these flags still signified dynasties rather than collective identity. There was no 'Indian' flag, only the flags of rulers who governed Indian MARATHAS AND REGIONAL POWERSWith the decline of the Mughals, the Marathas emerged as challengers to imperial rajmudra, his royal seal, was a statement of Swarajya, self-rule. His forces carried saffron flags, a colour later to be found in India's national flag. Swarajya Flag (AI-generated image) The Marathas, though decentralised, expanded across the subcontinent, and their flags began to symbolise a Hindu resurgence against foreign domination. Still, the idea of one India under one flag remained regional powers, the Sikhs, the Mysore rulers under Tipu Sultan, and even the Nizams, had their own flags, often reflecting spiritual motifs or military insignia. By the 18th century, India was a land of many flags but no national COLONIAL FLAG DURING THE BRITISH RAJAfter 1857, the British Crown established direct rule. The Union Jack dominated the colonial flag, with a royal emblem, the Star of India, marking imperial princely states retained local flags, the British sought to project a singular imperial image. But this created a was still no Indian flag to rally around, and as the nationalist movement grew, so did the need for a common RISE OF NATIONAL FLAG OF INDIAIn 1904, Sister Nivedita designed a red and yellow flag with 'Bande Mataram' inscribed on 1906, the 'Calcutta Flag', featuring lotus symbols and 'Vande Mataram' written in Devanagari, was unfurled. With horizontal stripes of orange, yellow and green, this flag came to be known as the 'Calcutta flag' or the 'Lotus flag', as it had eight half-opened lotuses on the orange strip. In 1907, Bhikaji Cama raised a different tricolour in Stuttgart. These were experimental attempts, each reflecting fragments of Indian 1916 and 1921, Pingali Venkayya submitted designs combining religious colours and symbols. Gandhi recommended the spinning wheel as a sign of economic his tricolour, red, green, and white, was later adjusted to saffron, white, and green, to remove religious Congress adopted this new tricolour in 1931, with the charkha at its unofficial, this flag became the face of protests, satyagrahas, and mass movements. When Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisted the flag in Port Blair in 1943, it was no longer symbolic. It was a declaration. Netaji hoisted this flag in Port Blair FROM CHARKHA TO CHAKRAWith Independence in sight, the Constituent Assembly formed a committee to finalise the national flag. The design kept the tricolour but replaced the charkha with the Ashoka Chakra, an ancient, non-sectarian symbol of law and flag was adopted on July 22, 1947. (Image: Wikimedia Commons) This shift was more than aesthetic. The Chakra made a historical connection back to Ashoka and the idea of moral rule, a return to symbols that had once tried to bind the land through ethics, not just flag now is regulated by the Flag Code of India. Its usage has expanded over the years. From schools to stadiums, from courtrooms to battlefields, the Tiranga is seen and its meaning is still made by the people who carry it. Every era has redefined journey of India's flag, from the chakra of Ashoka to the saffron of the Marathas, from the crescent of the Mughals to the charkha of Gandhi, is a history of attempts to say: this is who we Arundhati Virmani's A National Flag for India, she observes: 'A national flag acquires meaning only when it is invested with emotions and memory by the people. Without this, it is just cloth.' Empires rose and fell, but each left behind a thread in the fabric we now call the flag is not just three colours. It is a long conversation across time, geography, and struggle, now stitched into a single still asks the question: who are we? And it still answers: we are many, but we are one.- EndsMust Watch
New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Supreme Court rejects PIL against political parties using national tricolour in their flags
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday in its order refused to entertain a PIL seeking action against political parties for allegedly using flags with the tricolour along with party symbols. "Since when are they (Political parties) doing it? Some parties are doing it before Independence, dismissed," said the top court's three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria. The apex court passed the order, after hearing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by a petitioner-in-person, Sanjay Bhimashankar Thobde, against using the tricolour of the National Flag as part of their political campaign, replacing the Ashoka Chakra with their symbols. The petitioner, Thobde, who appeared in person, to argue his case submitted before the apex court that certain political parties have been using flag designs closely resembling the national tricolour in their political campaigns, often replacing the Ashoka Chakra with party symbols.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC rejects PIL against political parties using national tricolour in their flags
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to examine a PIL seeking action against political parties for allegedly using flags with the tricolour along with party symbols. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria declined to hear the petition filed by one Sanjay Bhimashankar Thobde, who appeared in person. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science Healthcare Digital Marketing others healthcare Data Science Finance Data Analytics Cybersecurity Product Management MBA Public Policy Leadership Others Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Project Management PGDM CXO Technology Management Degree Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI Duration: 8 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details The plea said certain political parties have been using flag designs closely resembling the national tricolour in their political campaigns, often replacing the Ashoka Chakra with party symbols. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here It also specifically named Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party. The plea said this amounted to a violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act , 1971. Live Events "Since when are they doing it? Some parties have been doing it since independence," the bench said and rejected the plea.
India Today
14 hours ago
- General
- India Today
Decoding the tricolour: What the Indian flag colours symbolise
The Indian National Flag, known as the Tiranga or Tricolour, is a vibrant emblem of India's identity, heritage, and values. Each band and element on the flag carries deep historical and philosophical meaning, rooted in India's struggle for independence and its diverse cultural STRUCTURE OF THE FLAGThe flag consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width:Top: Deep Saffron (Kesariya)advertisement Middle: White (with a navy blue Ashoka Chakra in the center)Bottom: India GreenThe Ashoka Chakra is a 24-spoked navy blue wheel at the flag's official proportion is 2:3, with the three stripes of identical SYMBOL OF COURAGE AND SACRIFICEThe top saffron band represents:Courage, strength, and sacrifice: It highlights the spirit of selfless service, the legacy of martyrs, and the determination that powered India's freedom and selflessness: Saffron, associated with India's spiritual traditions, calls upon leaders and citizens alike to prioritise national good over personal SIGN OF PEACE, TRUTH, AND HONESTYThe middle white band stands for:Peace and truth: White projects India's commitment to harmony, non-violence, and peaceful coexistence among its diverse and honesty: The color underlines justice, transparency, and the guiding path of truth in public Chakra: Set in the center, this navy blue wheel or 'Dharma Chakra' (Wheel of Law) is inspired by the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath and invokes the ideals of justice, progress, and the dynamism of life and change. Its 24 spokes represent righteous conduct and forward EMBLEM OF FAITH, FERTILITY, AND PROSPERITYThe bottom green band symbolisesFertility and growth: Rooted in India's agricultural foundations, green denotes the country's rich natural wealth and bountiful and chivalry: It conjures hope, renewal, and the importance of environmental Green is also associated with vibrancy, happiness, and the promise of a flourishing ASHOKA CHAKRA: ETERNAL WHEEL OF LAWPlacing the navy blue Ashoka Chakra at the center of the white band brings additional layers of meaning:Progress and righteousness: The 24-spoke wheel, derived from Emperor Ashoka's symbolism, embodies motion, justice, and the law of It highlights the principle that India must always move forward, adapting and progressing in tune with universal current design, formulated by Pingali Venkayya and adopted on July 22, 1947, is the result of several iterations during India's freedom movement. Earlier flags used different colors and symbols, sometimes with communal significance. The final version was deliberately crafted to emphasize unity, secularism, and inclusiveness, avoiding any sectarian Tiranga is more than a national emblem—it is a daily reminder of the principles that bind the Republic of India.- EndsMust Watch
