What does our National Flag mean to us?
As August arrives, streets are filled with vendors selling ‘Tiranga’. The government buildings, private offices even residential complexes get busy with the preparations for the flag hoisting ceremony on 15 August. The residents of Suncity like true Indians also look forward to the hoisting of our flag on Indian Independence Day at the community centre.
Just saluting and clapping does not show the respect we have for our national flag.
It is important to know what the national flag means to us, some say it evokes emotions that are often complex and deeply personal reflecting individual relationships with their country.
I thought besides these emotions it is important to know more about our flag and the emotions it evokes.
The national flag of India is a symbol of honour, patriotism, and freedom for the country. It represents the unity of the people of India despite the differences in language, culture, religion, class, etc. On 22 July 1947 Indian parliament declared this horizontal rectangular tricolor designed by Pingalivankayyaas as the National Flag of India.
The flag has three strips in three different colours representing different emotions. The saffron strip on the top indicates strength courage and sacrifice. White strip indicates peace and truth with dharma. The green strip indicates fertility and growth.
In the centre of the white strip is a circle with 24 spokes, which is blue and represents constant movement and progress.
The Tri-colour flag, which is an emblem of pride for every Indian, stands for the integrity of the country.
It is the symbol of our national pride. Over the last five decades, several people including members of the armed forces have ungrudgingly laid down their lives to keep the tricolour flying in its full glory.
Here is the message for all the residents of Suncity to follow the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
This campaign is to encourage people to bring the Tiranga home and to hoist it to mark the 76th year of India’s independence. Our relationship with the flag has always been more formal and institutional than personal. Bringing the flag home collectively as a nation in the 76th year of independence thus becomes symbolic of not only an act of personal connection to the Tiranga but also an embodiment of our commitment to nation-building. The idea behind the initiative is to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and to promote awareness about the Indian National Flag.
