Monumental Flag-masts And Giant Flags of India

  The Concepts of Monumental Flag-poles & Giant Flags Are Not New In India.

156 ft. tall flag-staff off the coast of Bay of Bengal in Chennai (formerly, Madras) had enjoyed the distinction of being the ‘Tallest & Oldest’ flag-mast, before the recent craze for gigantic Flag-poles  began. 

Fort St George with original 150' teak mast. Flying the British Union Flag (Jack).Pre-independence period photo; courtesy John Vaughan

In 1687, Elihu Yale the second Governor of Madras, hoisted the Union Jack for the first time on the flag-mast at Fort St. George, Madras (present day Chennai), replacing that of the East India Company’s flag (the original wooden-mast was replaced by a steel-mast of equal height in 1994). On August 15, 1947, it was on this flag-mast that the Indian Tricolour was hoisted for the first time and since then it has become the  government venue of the Independence Day Flag hoisting ceremony of Tamil Nadu state.

 Elihu Yale (1649 – 1721) - Governor of the East India Company settlement in Madras and a benefactor of the Collegiate School of Connecticut, USA, which in 1718 was renamed Yale College in his honor.

 

New Delhi's highest Monumental Flagpole 207 ft. hoisted by the Flag Foundation of India at Connaught Place.

 
 The largest National Flag in the country at the Central Park in Connaught Place in New Delhi. 

Naveen Jindal With Cdr. K.V.Singh.

  President of the Flag Foundation of India, hoisted the largest flag in the country and highest flagpole in New Delhi, measuring 207 ft. in height, at Central Park in Connaught Place on 7 March 2014. The monumental flag measures 60 ft. in width and 90 ft. in length and weighs 35 kg.

 There are 12 such flag poles in the country but this national flag is the largest , said Cdr. K.V. Singh of the Flag Foundation of India. The Flag Foundation of India and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) worked together on the project. The flag pole has been designed keeping in mind the geometry of Connaught Place, Singh said. “We are trying to create a monument for the national flag in the capital of the country,” he added.

  Soaring At Jaipur, Rajasthan

Special Cover released on Biggest Indian Flag on tallest flag-pole in Rajasthan at Central Park, Jaipur at Rajpex 2015 on 26th January 2015.

The Cancellation in form of Digital Franking using Remotely Managed Franking System (RMFS). The Meter Frank depicts National Flag and Slogan 'Highest National Flag in Rajasthan' and 'Greetings on Republic Day'. The meter frank is serially numbered from 1 to 1000.

 The National Flag is hoisted at a height of 206 feet throughout the year at Natural Heritage, Central Park, Jaipur. The flag is 48 feet wide and 72 feet in length weighing about 25 Kgs. 

The monumental flag was hoisted for the first time by the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan Mr. Ashok Gehlot in October 2011. Hoisting the flag, the chief minister said that national flag is a symbol of dignity and pride. He also asked the citizens to guard the dignity of national flag even at the cost of their lives. He also thanked Flag Foundation of India to get right for common man to hoist the flag.  

Another Towering Flag (Tallest And Largest) Tricolour at Ranchi Inaugurated on 23rd January 2016. Standing tall at 293 ft, and measuring 99 x 66ft in size.

Ranchi's Ill-fated Towering Flag

BY January 2017, the BSF is planning to put up the tallest national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP). So high, a top BSF official said, that at 350 feet, “it can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar”.
The move is part of the BSF’s expansion plans for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, the officiating Inspector General of BSF’s Punjab Frontier. Amritsar and Lahore are approximately 18 km away from the international border, he added.

“At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour. There is an intense atmosphere of patriotism during the Retreat ceremony, and the crowds are highly charged. The flag will serve as a beacon for them,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/at-the-attari-wagah-border-a-national-flag-so-high-it-will-be-seen-in-lahore-2775528/#sthash.7e3mizCv.dpuf

BY January 2017, the BSF is planning to put up the tallest national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP). So high, a top BSF official said, that at 350 feet, “it can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar”.
The move is part of the BSF’s expansion plans for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, the officiating Inspector General of BSF’s Punjab Frontier. Amritsar and Lahore are approximately 18 km away from the international border, he added.

“At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour. There is an intense atmosphere of patriotism during the Retreat ceremony, and the crowds are highly charged. The flag will serve as a beacon for them,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/at-the-attari-wagah-border-a-national-flag-so-high-it-will-be-seen-in-lahore-2775528/#sthash.7e3mizCv.dpuf

BY January 2017, the BSF is planning to put up the tallest national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP). So high, a top BSF official said, that at 350 feet, “it can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar”.
The move is part of the BSF’s expansion plans for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, the officiating Inspector General of BSF’s Punjab Frontier. Amritsar and Lahore are approximately 18 km away from the international border, he added.

“At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour. There is an intense atmosphere of patriotism during the Retreat ceremony, and the crowds are highly charged. The flag will serve as a beacon for them,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/at-the-attari-wagah-border-a-national-flag-so-high-it-will-be-seen-in-lahore-2775528/#sthash.7e3mizCv.dpuf

BY January 2017, the BSF is planning to put up the tallest national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP). So high, a top BSF official said, that at 350 feet, “it can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar”.
The move is part of the BSF’s expansion plans for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, the officiating Inspector General of BSF’s Punjab Frontier. Amritsar and Lahore are approximately 18 km away from the international border, he added.

“At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour. There is an intense atmosphere of patriotism during the Retreat ceremony, and the crowds are highly charged. The flag will serve as a beacon for them,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/at-the-attari-wagah-border-a-national-flag-so-high-it-will-be-seen-in-lahore-2775528/#sthash.7e3mizCv.dpuf

  

  
Raipur Beats The Record Set By Ranchi 5 Months Back
105 x70ft. Flag on 82 m tall Post.

The Telangana government will unfurl the country’s tallest National Flag in Hyderabad on the occasion of the state’s Formation Day on June 2.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday directed the state Chief Secretary to make arrangements for unfurling the flag at the Bathukamma Ghat of Hussain Sagar Lake, a release from his office said.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/telangana-govt-to-unfurl-countrys-tallest-national-flag-in-hyderabad-2783106/#sthash.Djqnxiz5.dpuf

The Telangana Government will unfurl the Country’s Tallest National Flag at 301 ft. in Hyderabad on the occasion of the State’s Formation Day on June 2, 2016.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on 3^rd May, 2016 (Tuesday) directed the state Chief Secretary to make arrangements for unfurling the flag at the Bathukamma Ghat of Hussain Sagar Lake, a release from his office said. Noting that there is a National Flag at Ranchi at a height of 293 feet, Rao said the flag in Hyderabad should be at a height of 301 feet.

The Chief Minister said the proposed flag would promote nationalism among the citizens.

And the "Largest and Tallest Flag" that is in Pipe-line !

BSF SET TO PUT UP TALLEST NATIONAL FLAG AT 350ft. NEAR ATTARI-WAGAH BORDER BY JANUARY, 2017 

   By January 2017, the Border Security Force (BSF) is planning to put up the tallest national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP). So high, a top BSF official said, that at 350 feet, “it can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar”.

The move is part of the BSF’s expansion plans for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, the officiating Inspector General of BSF’s Punjab Frontier. Amritsar and Lahore are approximately 18 km away from the international border, he added.

“At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour. There is an intense atmosphere of patriotism during the Retreat ceremony, and the crowds are highly charged. The flag will serve as a beacon for them,” Yadav told.  The Indian Express.

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The Indian National Flag : The Designers

 What Betsy Ross is to America, Pingali Venkayyaa is to India  

Betsy Ross is wrongly credited as the creator of the first U.S. ‘Stars and Stripes’ with the stars arranged in a circle, so that no State can claim precedence over another. But subsequent researches attribute the design credit to Francis Hopkinson. However, Ross’ biographer Marla Miller asserted that the question of her involvement in the flag should not be one of design, but of production.   

Similarly, there is a wrong perception in India that Pingali Venkayyaa had designed the Indian National flag. No, it is not true. Pingali did not design the present national flag of India (He was the maker of the Swadeshi flag of 1921). Albeit, most Indians are made to believe the ‘myth’ that the Indian National Flag - ‘The Tiranga’ adopted on 22 July 1947 by the Constituent Assembly was designed by Pingali Venkayyaa. This is travesty of history. The historical evidence does not support the theory of just one individual maker of the Indian National flag. Rather, the present flag, like the Freedom Movement, was the work of many hands.
The Flag we fly today was designed by Mrs. Suraiya Badr-ud-din Tyabji .
 

India’s Tiranga flag has become a recognizable symbol the world over and is a source of great pride to Indians. The booklet ‘Our Flag’ published by the Publications Divisions, Govt. of India (January 1950) states; “The evolution of the Indian National Flag reflects the political developments in the country during the 20^th century……”.  page 1 (Origin)

The Flag of India evolved through a sustained process.

There were many flags already in use in India and abroad by the Indian exiled revolutionaries, much before Pingaly Venkayyaa (1876-1963) - a great patriot and an aggressive  campaigner of National flag, came up with a booklet  ‘A National Flag for India’ in 1916. Pingali had put forth about 24 designs for the Indian flag in his booklet.  
Pingali's designs were never able to enthuse Gandhi; and in his designs, Gandhi saw nothing to stir the nation to its depths.

Here are the full stories;

1  1) Sister Nivedita (1867-1911) - an Irish disciple of Swami Vivekananda (born Margaret Noble) devised a square flag emblazoned with a Vajra (Thunderbolt) and the slogan Bande-Mataram in the centre in 1905, the year Lord Curzon declared ‘partition of Bengal’.

2)   In 1906 on the first anniversary of ‘partition of Bengal’ a tricolor flag was raised by Sir Surendranath Bannerjee , The flag was jointly designed by Sachindra Prasad Basu and Sukumar Mitra with the support of volunteers of Anushilan Society (a secret Society). The flag was made by Kumudini Basu, sister of Sukumar Mitra. The flag was later hoisted by Dadabhai Naoroji in the Calcutta Congress in December 1906. Reportedly Pingali Venkayyaa was present as Congress delegate during the event.

3)   A strikingly similar flag was displayed at Stuttgart Germany in 1907 by Madam Bikaiji Cama. Bhupendranath Dutta, younger brother of Swami Vivekananda wrote in one of his well researched book that "It was Hem Chandra Kanungo (Das) - a member of the Anushilan Samity and ‘in know’ of the Calcutta flag made the Cama’s flag in Paris". The similarity of the two flags was not a coincidence or an example of ‘Parallelism in history’. Hem Chandra was a member of Anushilan Society (a secret society engaged in Bengal in early 1900s). All the members of the society had to take an oath of secrecy, as such, Hem Chandra never claimed publicly that it was he who made the flag for Madam Cama. But his biographers later on came out and revealed how Hemchandra got involved with Cama and made the flag (a variant of the Calcutta flag) for her to wave it at Stuttgart.

4)   Home Rule flag, 1917 designed with the approval of Annie Besant, B.P. Wadia, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mohammad  Ali Jinnah.

The above described flags  evoked limited response amongst the masses and were used  only in certain events during our early phases of freedom movements. With the passage of time all these flags relegated to history.

 Evolution of Swaraj Flag (1921-1931) - First Pan India National Flag.

 We know from M.K.Gandhi’s  (He was not yet Mahatma then) article published in Young India in April 1921, I quote; 

Mr. P Venkayya of the National College, Masulipatam, has for some years placed before the public a suggestive booklet describing the flags of the other nations and offering designs for an Indian National-Flag. But, whilst I have always admired the persistent zeal with which Mr. Venkayya has prosecuted the cause of a National-Flag at every session of the Congress for the past four years, he was never able to enthuse me; and in his designs I saw nothing to stir the nation to its depths. … It was Lala Hansraj of Jullundur who, in discussing the possibilities of the spinning wheel, suggested that it should find a place on our Swaraj-Flag. I could not help admiring the originality of the suggestion. At Bezwada I asked Mr. Venkayya to give me a design containing a spinning wheel on a red (Hindu Colour) and Green (Muslim colour) background. His enthusiastic spirit enabled me to possess a flag in three hours. It was just a little late for presentation to the All-India Congress Committee. I am glad it was so. On maturer consideration I saw that the background should represent the other religions also. Hindu-Muslim unity is not an exclusive term; it is an inclusive term, symbolic of the unity of all faiths domiciled in India. If Hindus and Muslims can tolerate each other, they are together bound to tolerate all other faiths. The unity is not a menace to the other faiths represented in India or to the world. So I suggest that the background should be white and green and red. The white portion is intended to represent all other faiths.

 Unquote.

Take Mahatma Gandhi’s writings seriously (and why not), it was Gandhi who took the pivotal role in formulating the first Swaraj flag design, where Pingali Venkayyaa  was only responsible for the production of the first  “flag” . Surely, Pingali was not the inventor of the Swaraj flag. Pingali Venkayya published a booklet titled "A National Flag for India" in 1916. His passionate obsession for a national Flag for India compelled the Congress leaders  to address the flag issue with greater depth perhaps for the first time. Pingali Venkayya is and will remain as the pioneer protagonist of our National flag.

Some of the flag designs made by Pingali Venkayyaa. Gandhi did not like any of the flag designs produced by Pingali.

In all his 24-designs predominantly with Hindu religious traditions, was a small Union Jack at the upper left corner (Canton), which was undesirable. It is interesting to find that the Sister Nivedita’s ‘Vajra flag’ was also found a place in Pingali’s flag list.  

 

There were resentments about the communal interpretations of the colours of the Swaraj flag, notwithstanding Gandhi’s approval. So, a 'Flag Committee' was formed in 1931 to recommend and advice a new Flag for India.

India Post notoriously known as ‘dead brains’ and most ignorant of Indian History issued a postage stamp in 2009 in honour of Pingali Venkayyaa. The brochure released by India Post on the occasion projected him as the designer of the Purna Swaraj Flag and misquoted Gandhi. What a mockery. 

Purna Swaraj Flag (1931-1947) was formulated by the members of the Congress Working Committee chaired by Sardar Ballavbhai Patel in accordance with the inputs from Jawaharlal Nehru in Bombay in August 1931. Earlier, the ‘Flag Committee – 1931’ headed by Dr Pattabhi Sitaramiyyaa failed miserably to recommend/find a suitable flag design. 

Note: Pingali Venkayyaa was not even included in the ‘Flag Committee-1931’, nor he was a member of the Congress Working Committee, (probably by then; Pingali Venkayyaa had withdrawn himself from the mainstream politics). The design of the Purna Swaraj Flag was transferred to Khadi bunting by another Congress volunteer Dr. N. S. Hardikar.

Finally in 1947 the Constituent Assembly set up an ad hoc committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajendra Prasad  to recommend a new flag of Free India, The Committee unanimously chose Asoka Chakra device in place of Gandhi’s Charkha. 

The model of the new flag of free India was made by Mrs. Suraiya Badr-ud-din Tyabji  on 17July 1947. (Mrs Tyabji’s husband was the joint secretary in the Constituent Assembly and grandson of the great Tayabji who was the President of the Congress party in 1887). 

 Mahatma Gandhi was not too happy with the replacement of the charkha in the flag. He admitted in a statement published in the Harijan that, ‘Nothing would have lost, if our councillors had never thought of interfering with the design of the original flag.’  

 In a statement made in Lahore on 6 August 1947, Gandhi said, "I must say that, if the Flag of the Indian Union will not embody the emblem of the Charkha, I will refuse to salute that flag. You know the National Flag of India was first thought of by me, and I cannot conceive of India’s National Flag without the emblem of the Charkha".

Attempts at debunking the Pingali Venkayyaa myth had not been very fruitful. When a Belief has been in Circulation, People Find it Difficult to Negate it, Even when Pointed out.

Our History is Rich but our Historians are Poor !