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India Today
9 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
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First Post
15 hours ago
- General
- First Post
History Today: When India adopted the Tricolour as its national flag
The Tricolour was adopted to be the national flag of independent India on July 22, 1947. The flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya in 1921 and initially consisted of red and green bands instead of saffron, white and green colours that are visible today read more The Indian national flag is a symbol of the country's freedom from 200 years of British oppression. Representational image The Indian national flag is a sign of the country's freedom from British rule. Fluttering high, especially on government buildings, the Tricolour invokes feelings of pride and nationalism in the hearts of Indians. But did you know that it was adopted just weeks before independence? The Constituent Assembly adopted the tricolour as the national flag of independent India on July 22, 1947. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today, will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On this day in 2011, Norway experienced one of the deadliest attacks in its modern history when Anders Behring Breivik carried out a two-part assault that claimed 77 lives. Here is all that happened on this day. India adopted Tricolour as its national flag The Constituent Assembly of India officially adopted the Tricolour as the national flag of independent India on July 22, 1947, just weeks before gaining independence. This decision marked a defining step in India's journey to sovereignty. The flag, initially designed by Pingali Venkayya in 1921, had evolved through several alterations over the years as various designs were proposed and used by different factions of the Indian independence movement. The initial design featured red and green bands (symbolising Hindus and Muslims respectively) with the spinning wheel in the centre. On Gandhi's suggestion, a white stripe was later added to represent all other communities and peace. This 'Swaraj Flag' or 'Gandhi Flag' gained unofficial acceptance and was used during various Indian National Congress sessions. The flag consists of saffron, white and green colours along with the Ashoka Chakra. File image/PTI However, the need for a flag that represented all of India without any communal interpretations became paramount as independence approached. An ad-hoc committee, headed by Dr Rajendra Prasad, was tasked with finalising the design. On July 22, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly that cemented the design. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This flag consisted of saffron (symbolising courage and sacrifice) at the top, white (representing peace, truth and purity in the middle) and dark green (showing fertility and prosperity) at the bottom. The Ashoka Chakra in the middle, derived from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka, symbolises continuous progress. The adoption of the flag was more than a symbolic gesture; it was a proclamation of identity. As Jawaharlal Nehru said in his speech during the flag's adoption, 'This flag is not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people.' Deadliest shooting incident in Norway Norway experienced its deadliest attack since World War II, carried out by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik on this day in 2011. The two-part attack claimed the lives of 77 people and injured hundreds more. The first attack took place at approximately 3:25 pm, when Breivik detonated a powerful car bomb in the government quarter in central Oslo. The blast, placed near the office of then-Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, killed eight people and caused significant damage to government buildings, shattering windows and creating widespread chaos. Many public offices were less occupied than usual due to the summer holiday, which likely prevented an even higher casualty count. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Andres Behring Breivik gestured as he arrived during his trial in court in Oslo, Norway. File image/AP Roughly an hour and a half later, Breivik arrived at the island of Utoya disguised as a police officer. The island was hosting the annual summer camp of the Workers' Youth League (AUF), the youth wing of Norway's ruling Labour Party. For over an hour, armed with an automatic rifle and a pistol, Breivik systematically hunted down and shot the hundreds of mostly teenage attendees. He lured some victims closer by pretending to be a rescuer, resulting in a horrifying massacre that killed 69 people, many of whom were shot repeatedly or drowned trying to escape into the cold water. Breivik was arrested on the island without resistance. During his trial in 2012, he showed no remorse and described his actions as 'cruel but necessary' to fight what he believed was the Islamisation of Europe and the Labour Party's role in promoting multiculturalism. He was found sane and guilty and sentenced to 21 years in prison, the maximum under Norwegian law, with the possibility of extension. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This Day, That Year On this day in 1992, Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar escaped from police custody. American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world on this day in 1933. In 1812, the duke of Wellington defeated '40,000 Frenchmen in 40 minutes' at Salamanca, Spain.
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
National Flag Day in India 2025: Know the date, history, significance, and more
Every year on July 22, India commemorates National Flag Day, also known as Tiranga Adoption Day. This year, it's being observed on July 22, 2025, falling on Tuesday. On July 22, 1947, the Constituent Assembly of India officially adopted the Indian National Flag, known as the Tiranga, which means Tricolour. The Indian flag evolved over time, with various designs proposed and used during the freedom struggle, with the earliest flag, created by Sister Nivedita in 1904, featuring red and yellow colours symbolising victory and power, with 'Vande Mataram' inscribed in Bengali. After several modifications over the years, the present-day flag, the 'tiranga' was adopted with three coloured stripes – saffron, white, and green – and the Ashoka Chakra replacing the charkha as the national emblem, was officially adopted on July 22, 1947. On August 15, 1947, India gained independence and Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India, hoisted the Tricolour, the national flag of India, for the first time. National Flag Day instills a sense of pride, patriotism, and national unity among citizens, while encourages reflection on civic responsibilities, upholds the dignity of the national flag, as outlined in the Flag Code of India, and abides by its values. Each colour in the Indian national flag has a significant meaning which reflects the country's values and aspirations, while highlighting the sacrifices and struggles of countless freedom fighters who laid down their lives for India's independence. On this day, schools, government institutions, and various organisations often conduct ceremonies and educational programmes to raise awareness about the flag's history, symbolism, and the rules for its display.
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Homes to Kargil's Breathless Heights: Indian Soldier's Spirit Soars
Chandigarh: More than two decades after the war, the silent sentinels of Kargil pay homage to the indomitable spirit of the Indian soldier. At unforgiving heights of 19,000 feet, often after scaling 1,000m ice cliffs and across a frozen frontier of 220km from Mushkoh till the South Siachen glacier, Indian soldiers fought with one hand tied as they were not allowed to cross the LoC, had little knowledge of the enemy's strength and scaled treacherous terrain when the hour was the darkest. The awardees of the nation's highest gallantry awards have their names etched in immortality. There are multiple outstanding incidents from that war -- of the triumph of the spirit against all odds -- but all are not as well known to the people of India. ALWAYS IN BATTLE MODE A 23-year-old sepoy was wheeled into Kargil field hospital in May 1999, wounded, riddled with fractures, and blood vessels exposed but still pulsating. When he started coming out of anaesthesia, his compulsive battling spirit resurfaced with a vengeance. "He suddenly started shouting in Punjabi. He was still semi-conscious and disoriented. 'Oh, you ****, just wait till I get you. Shooting from behind the bunker, you dogs! Just you wait!" wrote Lt. Col. Arup R. Basu (retd), YSM, in his memoir, 'The Kargil War Surgeon's Testimony'. "He was still clear he had to fight for the country, no matter what. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo It showed the spirit of the diehard Indian soldier," added Basu. So instilled is the fighting tradition of regiments and soldierly communities that it is anathema to get a bullet in the back. Only the chest must be shown to the enemy, not a fleeing back, and never mind returning home wrapped in the Tricolour. "During the assault of Delta Company, 17 Jat, on Point 4875 complex on July 4, 1999, one of my lads took a bullet through the abdomen. He was evacuated. While being operated upon, a surgeon remarked that the lad seemed to have a bullet through the back. My soldier, though dazed and semi-conscious, sprang up from the operation table and grabbed the doctor by the neck, saying, 'I was shot in the front, not the back'," Col. Deepak Rampal, Vir Chakra, then a Major and wartime D Coy Commander, told TOI. HE COULD HAVE QUIT JCO Man Bahadur Rai of 1/11 Gurkha Rifles was just weeks from retirement when he found his battalion plunged into Kargil War. The practice was that two months before retirement, a soldier was sent to the regimental centre for 'pension drill', where he would complete the formalities before superannuation. But Rai refused to go for the paperwork. He wanted to be with his comrades fighting one of the fiercest battles of Batalik in the Yaldor-Kukarthang-Khalubar sector. Rai told his officers: "I will fight here till the last day, you cannot send me home to retirement." As his battalion neared the LoC while clearing enemy lodgements on Khalubar ridge, Rai was tasked to bring up supplies from Yaldor to the forward troops. "When the column of civilian porters with Rai started out, they were shelled and the porters scattered. But Rai kept going. He reached us somewhere in Munthadalo with a full back load. He was so determined to support the war effort of his beloved battalion. We were very hungry and were hoping that the doughty Rai had brought food rations. But the professional that he was, he had lugged a huge load of MMG ammo. What an anti-climax for us hungry souls!" Brig. Amul Asthana (retd.), then 2IC and leading the assault troops to the LoC, told TOI. Had the war not ended in two months, Rai would have retired on the battlefield itself. After the war, Rai's senior officers secured special permission for the doughty Gurkha to undertake his pension drill after his due date of retirement! INSPIRING THE CHIEF In the initial phase, when armed forces were reeling under a series of setbacks, then Army COAS Gen. VP Malik was faced with what he termed "long faces" in Delhi. These pessimists, who included some of his principal staff officers at Army HQs and other notables of the ruling establishment in New Delhi, felt that the Pakistani intrusions could not be evicted. But Malik's spirit was contrary to the naysayers as his morale was kept high by the soldiers and officers on ground fighting the battle. During his regular tours of ground zero, the fighting men would assure their chief, time and again, that the enemy would be defeated and kicked out. "I also needed some motivation. I would visit the battle zones of Drass, Mushkoh, Batalik etc every six days to meet formation commanders, the forward officers and troops and motivate and encourage them without interfering in the tactical aspects. My presence was aimed at reassuring the troops and officers. I would take small presents for troops like wrist watches as a token of appreciation for their valour and sense of duty towards the nation. I would come back to Delhi convinced by the assurances and die-hard spirit of our soldiers and frontline officers that 'we can do it' and that we will be victorious. When Tololing, Point 5140 (Drass) and Point 5203 (Batalik) fell within the space of a few days, beginning June 13, 1999, I knew we could do it and that the soldiers' confidence in achieving victory was not misconceived," Malik had told TOI. The mutual confidence and synergy of 'chief and jawan' paid off handsomely! THE VALIANT PORTERS No Army can wage a successful battle at those unforgiving heights without support of porters and pack animals. Along with native donkeys, well used to the treacherous Kargil cliffs, civilian porters of Ladakh and Kargil, and Nepalese load carriers, played a magnificent role in carrying ammo, food and other supplies to battling troops. In the absence of such porters, the infantry battalion's fighting strength was reduced to half as the soldiers were bogged down with portering duties. The civilian porters faced bullets and artillery shells, suffering casualties, but their spirit to defend the nation's boundaries was undaunted. "As we were moving from Yaldor for the build-up of the assault on Khalubar ridge, I came across a young porter slouched under a tree's shade. I asked him what was wrong. He took off his jacket and he had a bullet through the stomach. He was awaiting evacuation as the battlefield was far from the nearest roadhead on the Indus. I wanted to do something for him. Seeing my predicament, the young lad told me: 'Keep going ahead into battle, CO Saheb. There are many young men like me waiting ahead to take your ammo loads and climb into the battle heights'. I had to leave him there and press on with the attack. I still regret that I could not do anything for him. I do not know whether that brave young porter survived the bullet wound," Col. Lalit Rai (retd.), Vir Chakra, then CO, 1/11 Gurkha Rifles, told TOI. THE SARAGARHI SPIRIT The battle for Tiger Hill was in a critical stage. A fighting patrol of 8 Sikh, comprising two officers and 50 other ranks, was facing a barrage of counter-attacks by 12 Northern Light Infantry under the command of Capt. Karnal Sher Khan (posthumously awarded Pakistan's highest gallantry award, Nishan-e-Haider). The 8 Sikh was defending the approach to Tiger Hill from its South-western spur. Khan was attempting to reinforce the 12 NLI troops, who were under siege from 18 Grenadiers on Tiger Hill itself. The mood was grim and bloody, and 8 Sikh was to eventually suffer 15 dead and 24 wounded from the strength of 52. It was then that 192 Mountain Brigade Commander Brig. MPS Bajwa, YSM, got onto the radio set and spoke directly with Sub. Nirmal Singh to inspire, guide and rally the besieged fighting patrol. "I spoke to Nirmal Singh. The morale was very high despite many wounded, intense cold, low food and ammo supplies and relentless Pakistani counterattacks and artillery shelling onto that precarious spur at 16,000 feet. Nirmal Singh's voice was firm over the radio set and he reassured me: 'Commander Saheb, either we will defeat the Pakistani attacks or we will do a Saragarhi here''. The rest is history, Sepoy Satpal Singh shot Khan dead and the attacks fizzled out. Since the Pakistanis could not reinforce their troops on Tiger Hill via the spur defended by 8 Sikh, we conquered Tiger Hill with 18 Grenadiers. Both Nirmal (posthumously) and Satpal were awarded Vir Chakra though I had recommended the former for a Param Vir Chakra," Bajwa told the TOI. THE 'HOME MINISTRY' Then Maj. Deepak Rampal was on annual leave in Jalandhar in May 1999 with his wife and two children aged, 6 and 3. News broke that his battalion, the 17 Jat, had gone to Kargil for the war. Rampal cut short his leave and prepared to depart but he was torn inside. His wife, Vatsala, removed all doubts in his mind: "Go to the front and be with your troops. If every mother, sister and wife stops her man from going to the front, who will be left to fight for the nation?" she told him. Rampal went on to lead his Delta Company in frontal attacks on 12 NLI in the battles for Pimples and Whaleback in the Point 4875 Complex from July 4-8, 1999, and was awarded the Vir Chakra. "The families of the men under my command were equally supportive. The wife of my Havildar, who was manning the rocket launcher (RL), wrote to him that while she could not fire the RL she wanted to come and join him in battle. They had been married about 15 years. In chaste village language, she wrote that she would help him shoulder the RL and go into battle because she wanted to be with him. Her spirit shone like a North Star to my Havildar in those uncertain times of battle. Then we discovered a letter in the pocket of one of our dead soldiers. It was from his father, who had written: "If you come home in a coffin, make sure the bullets you receive are in your chest not your back'," Col. Rampal (retd.) told TOI. Pictures by: Col. APS Cheema (retd), Col. Rajesh Adhau & Brig. Amul Asthana (retd)
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Teacher on a mission to make state hamlets tobacco addiction-free
1 2 3 4 5 6 Ranchi: In the remote corners of Jharkhand, where awareness campaigns seldom penetrate and addiction quietly takes a heavy toll, one man, a para teacher, has been leading a determined crusade armed with a bicycle fitted with a loudspeaker and a microphone. Latif Ansari (49), a para teacher from Godda district, transformed personal sorrow into a lifelong mission — pedalling across the state since 2012 to raise his voice against the rising threat of substance abuse. In a heartfelt tribute to his noble cause and showcasing the love of his country, his bicycle proudly bears the Tricolour. Latif's campaign began over a decade ago, when he noticed some of his young students falling prey to tobacco addiction. What started as casual use for fun by the students turned into dependence and abuse, leaving a bad impact on their health and academics. Moved by the grief faced by his students, Latif decided not to remain a mute spectator but act, not just as a teacher within the four walls of a classroom, but as a torchbearer for social reforms against substance abuse. "The sight of my primary school students getting addicted to beedis and other tobacco products has shaken me. Speaking to their parents, I found that these children were imitating their elders at home. That's when I realised the problem was widespread and not just local. It was then that I resolved to launch my mission to spread awareness about the harmful effects of addiction, and since then, I have been visiting places, trying my best to de-addict people from tobacco. Till now, I have visited 22 out of 24 districts of the state to spread awareness and stop people from getting addicted to tobacco," Latif said. Over the past 13 years, Latif has travelled to hundreds of villages across Jharkhand, pedalling hundreds of kilometres every day. Whenever he spots a group gathering — be it playing cards or chatting under a tree — he halts his bicycle and seizes the moment to share hard-hitting facts and real-life stories about the harmful effects of tobacco products from gutkha, khaini to alcohol and other substances. Although Latif has received mixed reactions from people many often ask for his help to get medicines to get rid of the addiction. State rural development and panchayati raj minister Dipika Pandey Singh hailed Latif's tireless efforts in her recent visit to the district and promised to establish de-addiction centres in Godda district.
