Five years after Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement, on August 15, 1947, India attained freedom from British rule. As the country began imagining its future, many watching from far away predicted its disintegration and quick crumbling into a failed state. Their concerns weren’t totally unfounded. No nation of India’s size and varying diversity coming out of centuries of foreign rule could stand together. Nations disintegrated into smaller entities or were subsumed by others. India, on the other hand, not just survived, but thrived.
This August, Narendra Modi, realising the importance of this momentous occasion of 75 years of independent India, has given the call to celebrate it with the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga‘ campaign.
So, why the tricolour? Nothing represents the idea and ideals of India better than the national flag. Originally, flags were simply decorative streamers used in ceremonies. Gradually, they came to symbolise leaders, gods, merchants on the move, and even dynasties. As the flag came to symbolise people and regions, it came to be accorded the same respect given to the person or thing which it represented. Parties at war aimed to capture each other’s flag and bring it down. Losing the flag in a battle was akin to losing honour and, of course, the battle.
Modern national flags began to appear with modern nation states, gradually ending the concept of the flag representing an individual or army. A flag now stands for the all-encompassing identity of a nation. A flag is honoured for what it represents. A national flag is the marker of a nation’s history and a resolute determination to march towards greater glory. A national flag is not just for those alive. It is also held in high esteem for it reminds us of the sacrifices of the people who ensured our flag doesn’t fall. It also reminds us of the principles on which the nation stands. It is the symbol of a nation’s pride and a mark of honour for those who laid down their lives to protect and preserve the nation’s integrity.
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ aims to commemorate the great journey of India and its people. The campaign provides us with an opportunity to renew our pledge of patriotism and firm up our resolve in the journey ahead.
The Ashoka chakra in the tiranga represents the Dharmachakra — wheel of duty. The chakra once again reminds us as citizens of the country of our duties towards the nation. It reminds us all to renew our pledge to contribute to India’s growth towards building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, where we become one with nature by following the mantra of LiFE, lifestyle for environment. India, as one big family, must unite under its tiranga to mark its 75 years of existence as a free country.