Indian Independence Day, Respect your national Flag, how to respect your Tricolor, Indian National Flag, Do's and Don'ts of Flag Hoisting
Independence day 2022- Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav- All you need to know about hoisting the Tricolour
With India celebrating 75 glorious years of Independence on Monday August 15, the government has started a Har Ghar Tiranga campaign under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark this important occasion.
Overview
India is gearing up to celebrate its 75th year of independence on August 15, Monday. India freed itself from British rule on August 15, 1947. This year, the government has started a Har Ghar Tiranga campaign under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark this important occasion. It encourages people to bring the Tiranga or tricolour home and hoist it from August 13, 2022, to August 15, 2022. However, there are some noteworthy things to keep in mind before properly hoisting the tricolour, and we have all the answers for you.
As the nation prepares to hoist the Indian Flag at their homes, there are some crucial dos and don'ts one should know to pay proper respect to the tricolour. These rules, with respect to the use of the National Flag, are governed by the Flag Code of India, 2002, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. The Flag Code of India brings together all laws, conventions, practices, and instructions for displaying the National Flag by Private, Public, and Government Institutions. The code is divided into three parts and consists of detailed guidelines. Read on to know more.
History
Image- History of Indian National Flag
The Indian flag was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on July 22, 1947.
The first national flag, which consisted of three horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green, is said to have been hoisted on August 7, 1906, at the Parsee Bagan Square, near Lower Circular Road, in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
Later, in 1921, freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya met Mahatma Gandhi and proposed a basic design of the flag, consisting of two red and green bands.
After undergoing several changes, the Tricolour was adopted as our national flag at a Congress Committee meeting in Karachi in 1931.
Significance of the National Flag
The national flag of India represents the nation as an entity. We Indians have struggled for many years to achieve this independence that we enjoy today. The national flag not just represents the freedom we enjoy but also the effort of our great leaders who struggled to achieve this freedom. A true Indian knows the importance of this flag and would make sure that it continues to sway freely always. After several centuries of foreign rule by the Mughals, the British, and the Portuguese, finally, we have got our freedom, and this valuable freedom is represented by our tricolor.
India is a very different nation. It is unique because it is a conglomeration of many diverse ethnic groups, castes, cultures, races, and religions. The vast diversity found in our nation has made many countries suspect whether the nation would restore its freedom in the coming decades. Yet, after six or seven decades and in spite of several challenges that India is facing, we still remain an independent nation.
What our National flag represents
Image- Indian National Flag Significance
Our tricolor is a symbol of our nation. Each aspect of the flag has been selected carefully to ensure that it is a reflection of our nation. The three colors used in the flag are saffron, white and green. The saffron color is a symbol of disinterest in personal gains that Mahatma Gandhi thought is a quality our leaders should possess. The white color represents peace and truth. The green color in the flag represents our love of the soil. The Ashoka Chakra at the center is the ‘dharma chakra’ or the wheel of law. The initial design of the Indian flag was proposed by Gandhiji and made from the Khadi cloth from Indian hand looms. At the time of the creation of our nation, there were 24 states, and these were represented by the 24 spokes in the Ashoka Chakra on the flag.
What were the early rules governing the display of the Tricolour?
The earliest rules for the display of the national flag were originally governed by the provisions of The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, and The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 prohibits the desecration of or insult to the country’s national symbols, including the national flag, the Constitution, the national anthem, and the Indian map.
Section 2 of the Act says, “Whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or [otherwise shows disrespect to or brings] into contempt (whether by words, either spoken or written, or by acts) the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India or any part thereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.”
Among the other acts which are considered to be of disrespect to the national flag are dipping the Tricolour in salute to any person or thing, waving it at half-mast except on specific occasions, or using it as a drapery in any form whatsoever, except in state funerals or for the last rites of armed forces or other paramilitary forces.
Further, putting any kind of inscription upon the flag, using it to cover a statue, a monument, or platform, and embroidering or printing it on cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, or any dress material is also considered disrespect to the Tricolour, according to the Act.
Moreover, the flag should not be allowed to touch the ground or trail in water or be put up in an inverted manner.
In 2002, the Flag Code of India came into effect which allowed the unrestricted display of the Tricolour as long as the honour and dignity of the flag were being respected.
The flag code did not replace the pre-existing rules governing the correct display of the flag; it was, however, an effort to bring together all the previous laws, conventions, and practices.
What are the restrictions on the display of the Tricolour according to the flag code?
The Flag Code of 2002 is divided into three parts — a general description of the tricolour, rules on display of the flag by public and private bodies and educational institutions, and rules for display of the flag by governments and government bodies.
It states that there will be no restriction on the display of the flag by public and private bodies and educational institutions except to the extent as laid down in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
It mentions that the tricolor cannot be used for commercial purposes, and cannot be dipped in salute to any person or thing.
It further states that whenever the flag is displayed, it should be distinctly placed and should “occupy the position of honour”. Among the things which are not allowed is putting up a damaged or disheveled flag, flying the tricolour from a single masthead simultaneously with other flags, and no other object, including flowers or garlands, or flag should be placed on the same height beside the tricolour or above it.
Moreover, the flag should not be used as a festoon, or for any kind of decoration purposes. Any tricolour which is damaged should be destroyed in private, “preferably by burning or by any other method consistent with the dignity of the Flag”.
Also, any paper flags, which are used on occasions of national and cultural occasions or sporting events, should not be casually discarded and must be disposed of in private.
For official display, only flags that conform to the specifications as laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards and bearing their mark can be used.
What are the standard dimensions of the flag?
Image- Indian National Flag Standard Dimension
The flag code states that the tricolour can be of nine standard dimensions — 6300 x 4200, 3600 x 2400, 2700 x 1800, 1800 x 1200, 1350 x 900, 900 x 600, 450 x 300, 225 x 150 and 150 x 100 (all sizes in mm).
It further adds that flags of 450 x 300 mm size should be used on VVIP flights, 225 x 150 mm on cars and all table flags should be 150 x 100 mm in size.
The tricolour should be rectangular in shape and the length-to-width ratio should always be 3:2.
The national flag should always be made of hand-spun and hand-woven wool or cotton or silk khadi bunting, it further adds.
What are the current rules for the correct display of the flag?
The flag code mandates that the tricolour should always be distinctly placed and should “occupy the position of honour”. The flag should always be hoisted briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously.
When a flag is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally from a window sill, balcony or front of a building, the saffron band should be at the farther end of the staff. When displayed on a speaker’s platform, the flag should be placed on the speaker’s right as s/he faces the audience or flat against the wall above and behind the speaker. When displayed on a car, the flag should be flown from a staff fixed either in the middle of the bonnet or the front right of the car.
When carried in a parade, the flag should either be in the front of the centre of the line or towards the right of the file that is marching forward.
The flag code further states that when the Tricolour is passing by in a parade, or during a ceremony of hoisting or lowering of the flag, the persons present should stand at attention and salute the flag. Dignitaries should remove their headgears before saluting the flag.
In the event of the death of heads of states, dignitaries or during state funerals, the tricolour can be flown at half-mast during the period of mourning. However, if the period of mourning coincides with events of national importance, such as Independence Day, Republic Day, etc., the tricolour should not be flown at half-mast anywhere except over the building in which the body of the deceased is lying.
What should I keep in mind to avoid the incorrect display of the National Flag?
One should never hoist the National Flag in an inverted manner - the saffron band should not be the bottom band. A few other things to keep in mind are - do not display a damaged tricolour, don't let the Flag touch the ground or the floor or trail in the water, and never fasten the tricolour in any manner that may damage it. Lastly, the Indian Flag should not be flown from a single masthead (top part of a flagpole) simultaneously with any other Flag.
How to fold and keep our national flag respectfully
How to teach children to respect the National Flag?
Every individual shoulder the responsibility to pass on the loyalty and respect for the nation to the children. Imbibing such qualities in children requires you to explain to them what a nation means to each individual. You need to tell your children the great stories of the Indian Freedom Struggle and explain to them the true value of the freedom we enjoy today.
What care should one take regarding Flag?
Do’s and Don’ts
- Hoist the Flag at a height and in a suitable manner.
- Do not let small children use the National Flag as a toy.
- Do not buy or use plastic Flags.
- Do not use paper Flags to pin up on shirt pockets, etc.
- Take care to see that the Flag does not get crumpled.
- Do not use the Flag as a banner or for decoration.
- Take care to see that the National Flag is not trampled upon or torn.
- Do not let the Flag fall on the ground.
- Do not join cloth pieces to resemble the National Flag.
