Astonishing..isn’t it? Since childhood, we have been taught that our Indian flag consists of three colors- Saffron, White, and Green with an Ashok Chakra in the middle. The first Saffron band at the top of our flag indicates courage and strength, the second white band in the middle indicates peace and truth and the third green at the bottom shows fertility, growth, and auspiciousness of the land. The fourth color is the navy blue Ashoka Chakra, a 24 spoke wheel at the center that represents the eternal wheel of law and the dynamism of a peaceful change. The wheel denotes motion indicating that India should not resist change and move forward towards its progress.
But, have you ever thought about the blood that has been spilled to keep our flag fly high in the sky? Subhash Chandra Bose has once said to his soldiers, “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom”. We enjoy a comfortable and independent life because of the soldiers who protect us from any foreign intrusion. The price of our freedom is paid by the blood of our soldiers. Our tricolored flag with blue Ashok chakra in the middle proudly stands high because of the protection by the invisible bloodstains of our soldiers. When we see our flag in the sky, we are filled with pride. But what about the soldiers who died protecting it? The blood that splashes on the flag when our soldiers face martyrdom is immortal as they keep those brave souls alive forever. The blood on the flag wrapped around the martyred soldiers is the gift that these valiant sons have left for their motherland.
Why can’t we see and understand the value of this red color that has been sacrificed for us? We cannot even understand the pain and sufferings of those workers who serve our soldiers throughout their life but never get any credit. The red color represents the loyalty, faith, and emotions of these people. They are the ones who witness the soldiers taking their last breath and hear “Bharat Mata ki Jai” for the last time from their lips. It’s high time we acknowledge their sacrifice and appreciate the unwavering loyalty and patriotism of these courageous people. We accept the fifth red color of the flag which may be invisible but holds so much importance for India and its people. I salute these men who happily gave their lives and offer the fifth color to our flag so that we can sleep in peace.
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat..!!!!!!
