The soul-stirring power of flags

THE other day, a new word, ‘vexillology’, captured my attention. “Has it something to do with ‘vexing’ people?” I mused. No, said the online dictionary. Vexillology is the study of flags, their evolution and the relationships between symbols, identity and emotions. Naturally, I thought of Independence Day, the Tiranga fluttering in the sky, the pride one feels on hearing or reciting the National Anthem.

A flag is a flag — unique in itself; not just a piece of colourfully designed cloth. It is something worthy of the supreme sacrifice, as British journalist and author Tim Marshall contends in his book Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of Flags. Whether it belongs to an organisation, institution or state, a flag inspires loyalty and evokes passions as a visual expression of shared identity.

The word ‘vexillology’ was coined by American flag historian Whitney Smith in 1959 from the Latin ‘Vexillum’ (a square banner of ancient Roman cavalry) and the Greek suffix ‘logia’ (study). Croatian author Zeljko Heimer contributed immensely to vexillology by illustrating 6,000 flags for the Flags of the World (FOTW) website.

As an academic discipline, vexillology was introduced in the mid-20th century in Western universities, taking in its ambit history, sociology, culture, design and creativity and also the flag industry. Since vexillology is the scientific study of the antiquity, symbolism and design of flags, it takes due cognisance of the rules governing flags over centuries, and the impact that flags and their cultural/historical nuances have on societies. Vexillologists have given five principles for designing a good flag: simplicity, meaningful symbolism, use of minimum colours, no lettering, and easily relatable theme.

In the Indian context, the history of the Tricolour offers fascinating insights into colonialism, the freedom struggle, the national flag designs suggested from time to time and the efforts put in by freedom fighters to imagine, reimagine, design and redesign a flag with a meaningful theme. In 1916, freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya offered 25 potential designs for the flag, based on the concept of Swarjya, out of which one was accepted as the national flag in 1947.

Prior to that, on August 22, 1907, Bhikaji Cama hoisted the Tiranga in Stuttgart, Germany. She declared, “This flag is of Indian Independence! Behold, it is born!” She made a passionate appeal to all lovers of freedom to support India’s flag. Cama’s flag was differently designed from what was finally to become the Tiranga. This flag, which was brought to India from Germany by independence activist Indulal Yagnik, is on display at the Maratha and Kesari Library, Pune.