Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara - Indian National Flag

On April 23, 1916 Bal Gangadhar Tilak formed The Home Rule League in Bombay. Six months later Mrs. Annie Besant founded the league in Madras. The Home Rule League became popular and it broke fresh ground even in small towns that hitherto had little or no political consciousness. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mrs. Annie Besant, the two pivots of the movement, designed a new flag. It comprised five red and four green horizontal stripes arranged alternately, with seven stars denoting the Saptrishi configuration. On the left upper quadrant, towards the hoist it had the Union Jack, and on the upper right quadrant, towards the flag's fly there was a crescent and a star. It is believed to have been hoisted at the 1917 Congress session held in Calcutta for the first time.

The political situation in the country called for a leader and it brought Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to the forefront of the Indian National Movement. And, with his advent a new era dawned on the political horizon of India.

In about 1916, Pingli Venkayya, an Andhra youth from Masulipatnam, was trying to devise a common National Flag for the whole of India. Gandhiji was impressed by him and summoned him to the meeting of the All India Congress Committee at Bezwada (now Vijayawada) in April 1921. He asked him to give a design for a National Flag with a charkha on red (denoting Hindus) and green (for muslims) background. Within three hours, Venkayya, prepared a flag and placed it in the hands of Gandhiji. It had two equal bands of red and green, with a large charkha covering both the bands. Gandhiji realized that the National Flag should have three colours, representing Hindus, Muslims and other religions. Gandhiji called Venkayya again and advised him to add white colour band to the top, the green band in the middle and red at the bottom with a charkha in the centre covering all the bands. Thus, the first flag of All India Congress was born.