[Points: What a National flag is—When our National flag was adopted—design of the flag—what its different colours stand for—how it should be used.]
Every country has its own National flag. It is the symbol of its honour and ideal and as such it is held in the highest esteem by every patriot.
The National flag of free India was first adopted by the Constituent Assembly on July 22, 1947. It is a horizontal tricolour with saffron at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom, all the stripes being equal in breadth. Saffron stands for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace, green for faith and chivalry. In the centre is an exact reproduction of Asoka Chakra, the wheel of the Asoka pillar at Sarnath. The colour is dark blue and the wheel has 24 spokes.
As the National flag is the symbol of the country's honour, great care is to be taken in using it. It is to be regarded as something holy, and should, therefore, be kept above all internal controversies,-poli tical or religious or ideological. There may be quarrels in between parties and groups, but there can be no quarrel with the National Flag; all should bow down before it and keep its honour bright. Nor should the flag be used lightly and indiscriminately as if it were a mere play .thing like a toy flag in the hand of a child. It is to be deeply regretted that our people are often found wanting in this respect. We some times find torn or soiled National flags on house tops and cars, even in dust-heaps. We also sometimes find these flags in the hands of demonstrators marching along the streets. All these prove that the offenders are not conscious of the sanctity of the National flag.
To guard against the misuse of the National flag, certain rules have been laid down by the Government. Some of the most important of these are:-(a) It should not be lowered before anything. (b) No other flag or emblem should be placed above the National flag or to its right. (c) When carried in a procession, it is to be borne on the right shoulder of the standard bearer and carried in front of the procession. (d) When the flag is flown horizontally, the saffron end should be at the top. (e) Normally, the National flag should be flown on important Government buildings. Frontier areas may however, fly it at some special points. (f) Its use is unrestricted on certain special occasions such as the Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday and during the National week.
