Har Ghar Tiranga: The Tricolour Has Been Seldom Absent From Our Thoughts, Poetry

The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign aspires to bring the national flag, literally, into every Indian home. But the tiranga has seldom been absent from our thoughts; if anything, love for the tiranga has been hiding in plain sight in a great deal of poetry, specifically Urdu poetry.Virtually from the day it was first hoisted, the poet has written paeans in its praise, invoking the many sacrifices of countless Indian men and women that made possible its first unfurling in Free India, citing the hopes and aspirations of a fledgling nation that it embodies.Among the most-often used adjectives to describe the dhwaj, a word that defies easy translation and goes way beyond the English equivalent for ‘appearance,’ are shaan (splendour or style), nirala (unique), and azmat (glory), making the tiranga a veritable embodiment of peace and harmony (amn-o-aman ka paikar), a lasting symbol of freedom (azadi ki nishani) and a symbol of national identity (Bharat ki pehchan).Happy Independence Day 2022: Famous Quotes by Freedom Fighters and SpeechesShamim Karhani, who wrote many a qaumi geet (nationalistic song) in the early years of independence, also penned a beautiful poem on the tiranga, likening the saffron in it to the colour of ripe mangoes, the white to pristine snows on the Himalayas and the green to the tender saplings growing in the fields of rural India:Jan-bazon ke paak lahu ki yaad dilane waliJangal ki ankhon ki surat sabz hai teri dhariJaise dhaan ki pahli konpal sundar komal pyariAur Ashoka chakr mein amn-o-rahat ka ujyala(Reminding us of the pure blood of the brave-heartsThe green border is like the green eyes of the forestsAnd as lovely as the first green shoot of tender paddyWith the Ashoka Chakra embodying the light of peace)Vaqar Khaleel, the poet from Hyderabad in a long poem on the Tricolour, says such indeed is its majesty that even the mighty Himalayas bow its head before it (uncha jo hai Himala woh bhi to sar jhukaya):Amn-o-aman ki rangat viron ke ḳhuun ki laaliIss mein jhalak rahi hai mazdur ki bahali(The colours of peace, the red of the martyrs’ bloodReflects here and the better days awaiting the workers)Saadat Nazeer writes:Sachchai aur dharam ka mazharChaand sitaare sadqe tujh par(A testament of truth and righteousnessThe moon and stars offer themselves as sacrifice to you)Happy 76th Independence Day 2022: Wishes, Images, Posters, Texts, and GreetingsOthers have written of the fluttering tricolour that fills the air with peace, harmony and goodwill, the frisson of deeply-felt emotions that are excited upon spotting it. For Masooda Hayat, the flag embodies what it means to be an Indian:Jhanda hi tauqir-e-watan haiJhanda hi tasvir-e-watan haiJhanda hi taqdir-e-watan hai(The flag is the honour of the nationThe flag is the portrait of the nationThe flag is the destiny of the nation)Many poets have written nationalistic poems, especially for children; of these Shafiuddin Nayyar has written some of the sweetest, such as 'Jhanda uncha rahe hamara,' which uses words a mother might for her child so brimful it is with a pure, unadulterated love while also stressing that the Tricolour belongs to all Indians, and not a chosen few:Sab se achchha sab se nyaraRang tiranga pyara pyaraQaum ki ummidon ka saharaDes dulara jag ujyaraDil ki thandak aankh ka taara …Des disa dikhlane wala Hosh mein hum ko laane wala Josh se dil garmane wala Khidmat par uksane wala Qaum ki nayya khaivan hara …Jab jhanda lahraega yehMan ki jot jagaega yehApnaiyat phailaega yehPreet ki reet sikhaega yehPrem ka sagar prem ki dhara(The loveliest and fairest of allThe dearly beloved TricolourThis prop for the nation’s hopesThe nations’ darling, beacon for the worldGives comfort to the heart, this light of our eyes It gives direction to the countryIt brings us back to our sensesIt warms our heart with passionIt rouses us to service and duty75 Years of Independence: An Ode to India's SecularismIt is the rower of the nation’s boatWhen this flag flutters in the windIt lights the lamp of our heartIt spreads a sense of belongingIt will teach us the habit of lovingFor it’s an ocean of love, a stream of love)PS: I am no a poet and can, at best, rely on simple words to relay first-hand, truly-felt emotions. I have never felt prouder to be an Indian nor closer to tears upon sighting the Indian flag than I did while performing the Haj in 2012. As a Guest of Allah – one of over 3 billion people who come to the Baitullah, the Holiest of Homes for the annual Haj – the entire experience was a humbling one.To be a tiny speck in the vast ocean of humanity from the far-flung corners of the Muslim world is an overwhelming feeling and yet in the midst of it all, I could feel my heart swell with pride upon spotting the Indian Tricolour fluttering tall at the camps for Indian Hajis at Mina and Arafat.That rush of emotions at the sight of the tiranga, thousands of kilometres away from home and country, is among my most cherished memories.'India Needs To Be Self-Reliant': RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Independence Day(Dr Rakhshanda Jalil is a writer, translator, and literary historian. She writes on literature, culture, and society. She runs Hindustani Awaaz, an organisation devoted to the popularisation of Urdu literature. She tweets at @RakhshandaJalil. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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Har Ghar Tiranga: The Tricolour Has Been Seldom Absent From Our Thoughts, Poetry

The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign aspires to bring the National Flag, literally, into every Indian home.

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Topics: Independence Day 2022 har ghar tiranga 76th independence day 2022