Tiranga: The Fabric that Unites India

 Tiranga: The Fabric that Unites India

Not just a flag, the Tiranga is a living banner of India’s unity in diversity. It does not belong to Hindus alone or Muslims alone or Sikhs and Christians alone—it belongs to 1.50 billion Indians beating in every heart from the snow peaks of Ladakh to the shores of Kanyakumari. It is the only flag that unites the people of 28 states, 8 union territories and followers of ten different faiths—Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, the Bahá’í Faith and even those with no religion. First unfurled on 7 August 1906 in Kolkata during the protest against Bengal’s partition, formally adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931 and given its present form on 22 July 1947, the Tiranga was first officially hoisted at Parliament House, New Delhi by Jawaharlal Nehru on 15 August 1947. Its saffron stands for courage and sacrifice, white for peace and truth with the Ashoka Chakra in deep navy blue and green for faith and chivalry. Across the world it is revered by all—75% Hindus, 15% Muslims, 2% Christians, 2% Sikhs and 6% others—because it is more than cloth and colour; it is India’s soul in fabric. Those who disrespect it face not just the law—up to three years in prison or a fine—but the silent disapproval of an entire nation bound under its three stripes.