JOIN USPM Narendra Modi unveils new ensign for Indian Navy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled a new flag for the Indian Navy, which created the ensign taking a cue from the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji who had built a maritime force.
The Navy flag now comprises two main constituents - the tricolour in the upper left canton, and a navy blue-gold octagon at the centre of the fly side (away from the staff).
The octagon has twin golden octagonal borders housing the golden national emblem (Lion Capital of Ashoka – underscribed with ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in blue Devnagri script) resting atop an anchor; and superimposed on a shield.
Below the shield, within the octagon, the motto of the Indian Navy ‘Sam No Varunah’ has been inscribed.
The twin octagonal borders draw their inspiration from Shivaji Maharaj Rajmudra or the Seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, one of the prominent Indian kings with a visionary maritime outlook, who built a credible naval fleet that earned grudging admiration from European navies operating in the region at the time.
"It's a red letter day for the Navy. We got a new carrier and a new flag," said Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Commanding in Chief of the Western Naval Command, the sword arm of the Indian Navy.
Since the pre-independence era, the Navy flag underwent changes several times. Even the St George's Cross, described as a symbol of colonial power by Modi, was dropped once for a brief period. But it returned within a few years.
The following is a brief history of the evolution of the naval ensign:
Pre-independence: St George’s Cross against white background with Union Jack in top left {St George is a christian warrior saint who was a part of the 3rd crusade. The royal Navy adopted Saint George’s Cross to fly on their ships and the present design was adopted around 1707}
On Jan 26, 1950: In the Navy ensign, tricolour replaced the Union Jack. St George’s Cross was retained
2001: St George’s Cross was replaced by the Naval crest in the middle of a white flag while the tricolour was retained in the top left corner
2004: St George’s Cross returned, but now has the state emblem from the Lion capital in the middle. (The blue of the crest was merging with the sea and sky and was not visible from a long distance)
2014: The words Satyameva Jayate in Devnagari script were incorporated in the flag below the Ashoka emblem