Calcutta Flag

The Calcutta Flag holds a significant place in the history of the Indian independence movement as one of the earliest national flags of India. First unfurled on 7 August 1906, it represented the growing spirit of nationalism and unity among Indians during the struggle against British colonial rule. The flag, which preceded the official tricolour of independent India, served as a symbolic precursor to later national flags and embodied the ideals of swadeshi, resistance, and national identity.

Background and Historical Context

The early twentieth century was a period of intense political awakening in India. The Partition of Bengal (1905) by the British government had triggered widespread protests and gave rise to the Swadeshi Movement, which encouraged Indians to boycott British goods and promote indigenous products. In this environment of heightened patriotic fervour, the need for a national symbol to represent unity and collective resistance became increasingly evident.
The idea of creating a national flag emerged from leaders and intellectuals associated with the Indian National Congress and the Swadeshi movement in Bengal. They envisioned a flag that would unite Indians across regional, linguistic, and religious lines, and express their shared aspiration for self-rule.
The Calcutta Flag was thus conceived as a visual embodiment of this national awakening and was first hoisted at the Parsis Bagan Square (now Greer Park) in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 7 August 1906 during a massive protest meeting against British rule.

Design and Symbolism

The Calcutta Flag was a tricolour design featuring three horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and red, each imbued with symbolic meaning that reflected the diverse ethos of the Indian people and their struggle for freedom.

• Top Stripe (Green): Represented faith, strength, and the agricultural prosperity of India. It symbolised the country’s natural wealth and the hope for regeneration.
• Middle Stripe (Yellow): Signified peace and the unity of the Indian people. The yellow band also bore eight half-open lotus flowers, representing the eight provinces of British India at that time, symbolising harmony and cultural richness.
• Bottom Stripe (Red): Denoted sacrifice and courage, standing for the blood of patriots who were ready to give their lives for the cause of freedom.

At the top left corner of the flag was an image of the sun and a crescent moon, representing the Hindu and Muslim communities respectively, and thus symbolising the spirit of communal harmony and unity across religious boundaries. The flag also featured the Sanskrit words “Vande Mataram”, meaning “Mother, I bow to thee,” inscribed in Devanagari script, taken from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s patriotic hymn, which had become an anthem of the Swadeshi movement.

Designers and Contributors

The Calcutta Flag was designed by a group of prominent nationalists and patriots. Although exact authorship remains a subject of historical debate, the design is widely attributed to Sachindra Prasad Bose and Sukumar Mitra, with suggestions that Hemchandra Kanungo and Sarala Devi Chaudhurani also played influential roles in conceptualising and creating the flag.
Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, a noted nationalist, feminist, and niece of Rabindranath Tagore, was particularly instrumental in promoting the idea of a national flag. Her home in Calcutta often served as a meeting place for nationalist leaders and revolutionaries, and she actively supported the Swadeshi movement.

Significance in the National Movement

The unfurling of the Calcutta Flag in 1906 marked a landmark moment in India’s struggle for freedom. It was the first time that a national flag representing India had been publicly hoisted. The event galvanised nationalist sentiments and set a precedent for later flag designs that would emerge in subsequent years.
The flag served as a rallying symbol for unity, particularly at a time when India was divided by regional and communal lines. Its design, incorporating symbols from both Hindu and Muslim traditions, emphasised the importance of national integration and collective resistance to British rule.
The phrase “Vande Mataram” inscribed on the flag became a unifying call across the country, inspiring thousands of Indians to join the freedom movement. The Calcutta Flag also inspired similar designs and later versions of the Indian national flag, including the 1907 Berlin Committee Flag and Pingali Venkayya’s tricolour of 1921, which ultimately influenced the final form of the national flag adopted in 1947.

Evolution and Influence on Later Flags

Following the Calcutta Flag, several other versions of the Indian national flag were proposed during the early twentieth century, reflecting the evolving political aspirations of the independence movement.

1. Berlin Committee Flag (1907): Also known as the Bhikaiji Cama Flag, this version was first unfurled by Madam Bhikaiji Cama at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany. It bore a similar tricolour design and also included “Vande Mataram.”
2. Home Rule Flag (1917): Introduced by Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, this flag featured the Union Jack alongside seven stars representing the Saptarishi constellation, signifying the fusion of Indian aspirations with constitutional reform.
3. Gandhi’s Tricolour (1921): Designed by Pingali Venkayya, it featured red, green, and white stripes with a spinning wheel at the centre, representing self-reliance and swadeshi principles. This design ultimately evolved into the current Indian national flag, which was officially adopted on 22 July 1947, replacing the spinning wheel with the Ashoka Chakra.

The Calcutta Flag thus occupies a vital place in this evolutionary timeline, serving as the first public expression of India’s national identity through a flag.

Legacy and Commemoration

Today, the Calcutta Flag is regarded as a historical artefact symbolising the dawn of Indian nationalism. While the original flag design is preserved in historical records and illustrations, it remains a powerful emblem of the early unity, sacrifice, and patriotic fervour of the Indian people.
The flag’s hoisting on 7 August 1906 is commemorated as a moment of great national pride and is often referenced in historical accounts of India’s journey towards independence. The site of its unfurling—Parsis Bagan in Kolkata—continues to be remembered as a place of historical significance.