Few
days ago, I read this question on Yahoo Answers and I sensed some humor in it.
Seriously, it is a very thoughtful question and a sitter for those who know
even a little bit about the Tricolor of India. The answer is Orange! Well,
the logical explanations say it is Saffron, but, for a common man it is orange.
Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan, who later became India's first Vice President and second
President, clarified the adopted flag and described its significance as “Bhagwa
or the saffron colour denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our
leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their
work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct.
The green shows our relation to (the) soil, our relation to the plant life
here, on which all other life depends. The "Ashoka Chakra" in the
centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma
or virtue ought to be the controlling principle of those who work under this
flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is
life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go
forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.”
The
Orange is often perceived as the color of the top strip and the process of this
perception build-up starts from the childhood. A child making a drawing of the
Country flag doesn’t have a Saffron Color in his Crayon Box. So, he ends up
coloring it orange. Orange basically signifies creativity, happiness, optimism,
enthusiasm, harmony, determination, energy, motivation and friendliness.
Whereas, Saffron signifies sacrifice, spirituality, devotion. Former President
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan described it as a signifier of sacrifice and our
leaders must not look for personal gains and should dedicate themselves and
their life for the well being of their people. But, it’s unfortunate that
the leaders haven’t got it correctly. Today, the Politics is seen as a career
and the dedication to work is overpowered by the dedication to mint money and
the votes. Most unfortunate thing is their temptation to get into the chair of
the minister.
Today,
Saffron has lost its significance. Not long ago, when the country lovers paid,
as tribute, their lives to the nation's pride and freedom. But, the days have
changed. The time has really changed. Google tried to sell itself for $1mn in
1999. As of today, Google’s market cap stands at $167 billion. How fast the
world changes..:)
