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The first national flag of India, with three horizontal stripes of green, yellow and red, is said to have been hoisted on 7 August 1906 at the Parsi Bagan Square (Green Park) in:
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Answer: Option D — Calcutta (Kolkata)
Detailed Solution
The first national flag of India is said to have been hoisted on 7 August 1906 at the Parsi Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta (Kolkata), during a meeting held to protest against the partition of Bengal.
About the flag of 1906:
- It had three horizontal stripes: green at the top, yellow in the middle and red at the bottom.
- The green stripe had eight half-open lotuses, representing the eight provinces of British India.
- The yellow stripe had the words "Vande Mataram" written in Devanagari.
- The red stripe had a sun on the right and a crescent moon on the left.
- It is sometimes called the "Calcutta flag".
- It is believed to have been designed by Sachindra Prasad Bose and Hemchandra Kanungo.
Other early flags:
- In 1907, Madame Bhikaji Cama hoisted an Indian flag at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, Germany; this was the first Indian flag hoisted on foreign soil.
- Her flag was similar to the 1906 flag, with green, saffron and red stripes.
- In 1917, during the Home Rule Movement, Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak used a flag with red and green stripes and the Union Jack in the corner.
- In 1921, Pingali Venkayya designed a flag with red and green colours (representing Hindus and Muslims), to which Gandhi suggested adding white (for other communities) and the charkha (spinning wheel).
- In 1931, the Congress adopted a tricolour flag of saffron, white and green, with the charkha in the centre.
The national flag of India:
- The present national flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947.
- It has three horizontal stripes of saffron, white and green, with the Ashoka Chakra (a wheel with 24 spokes) in navy blue in the centre, replacing the charkha.
- The ratio of its width to length is 2:3.
- The Flag Code of India regulates its use.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bombay, Lahore and Madras were not the places where the first national flag was hoisted.
Quick tip
Remember: first national flag = 7 August 1906, Parsi Bagan Square (Green Park), Calcutta (green, yellow, red; eight lotuses; "Vande Mataram"); Madame Cama's flag = Stuttgart 1907; present flag adopted 22 July 1947.
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Swadeshi Movement & Early Nationalism — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Swadeshi Movement & Early Nationalism, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the growth of Indian nationalism from the early 1900s to the First World War: the partition of Bengal in 1905, the Swadeshi and Boycott movement, the rise of extremist leaders such as Lal, Bal and Pal, the Surat split of 1907, and the Home Rule Leagues of Tilak and Annie Besant. Typical questions cover the year the partition of Bengal was announced and annulled (1905 and 1911), the slogans and leaders of the Swadeshi movement, and the founders of the two Home Rule Leagues (1916). Be clear about the difference between the moderates, who used petitions, and the extremists, who called for swaraj and mass action. Practise the Swadeshi movement and early nationalism questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.