Meaning of the flag's forms and colours
A flag is read in two ways: by colour and by shape. India's national flag has three equal horizontal stripes and a wheel in the centre. The length and width are in the ratio 3 : 2.
- Saffron (top): courage, sacrifice and selfless service.
- White (middle): truth, peace and purity.
- Green (bottom): faith, growth and the fertile land.
- Navy-blue wheel (Ashoka chakra): the law (dharma) and constant forward movement. It has 24 spokes.
The wheel is taken from the lion capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, a national emblem that also carries the words "Satyameva Jayate" (truth alone triumphs).
How the flag changed from 1906 to 1947
In 1906 a flag with green, yellow and red stripes and symbols was shown in Calcutta. In 1921 Pingali Venkayya showed Gandhi a flag with a spinning wheel (charkha). By 1931 the colours became saffron, white and green with the charkha in the middle. On 22 July 1947 the Constituent Assembly adopted the tricolour with the 24-spoke wheel in place of the charkha.
Artists and the freedom struggle
Art reached people who could not read. Abanindranath Tagore painted "Bharat Mata" (1905), showing the country as a calm and caring mother. Nandalal Bose made the Haripura Congress posters (1938) in bold village-style lines, and a linocut of the Dandi March. Chittaprosad drew the Bengal famine (1943) so the world could see the hunger. Gaganendranath Tagore drew sharp cartoons that laughed at unfair rule.
Why national symbols matter
Symbols let a whole country share one idea in a second. Good symbols use few shapes, strong colours and meaning that is easy to explain. Other national symbols (an emblem, an anthem, a national animal or flower) follow the same idea. When you design your own symbol, ask: what do I want people to feel, and which shape or colour says it fastest?
Key formulas and definitions
- Saffron = courage and sacrifice
- White = truth and peace
- Green = faith and growth
- Ashoka chakra = 24 spokes = law and constant movement
- Flag ratio, length : width = 3 : 2
- Flag adopted 22 July 1947 (Constituent Assembly)
- Pingali Venkayya: 1921 charkha flag design
- Bharat Mata 1905; Haripura posters 1938; Bengal famine sketches 1943
Worked examples
1. A flag is 90 cm wide (the shorter side) and the length : width ratio is 3 : 2. What is the length?
Width 90 cm is 2 parts, so 1 part = 45 cm. Length = 3 x 45 = 135 cm.
2. Each stripe of a tricolour is equal and the flag is 60 cm tall. How tall is one stripe?
60 / 3 = 20 cm each.
3. The chakra has 24 spokes. What angle is there between two neighbouring spokes?
360 / 24 = 15 degrees.
4. Match each artist to a work: Nandalal Bose, Chittaprosad, Abanindranath Tagore.
Nandalal Bose: Haripura posters. Chittaprosad: Bengal famine sketches. Abanindranath Tagore: Bharat Mata.
Common mistakes
- Saying the wheel is the spinning wheel (charkha). The charkha was on the older flag; the 1947 flag has the Ashoka chakra.
- Writing 12 spokes or 20 spokes. The Ashoka chakra has 24.
- Mixing up the order of the stripes. Saffron is on top, green is at the bottom.
- Thinking colours stand for religions. The official meanings are courage, truth and peace, and faith and growth.