The genesis of the Flag Foundation of India

On 23rd January 2004, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of Mr. Naveen Jindal, (Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha) cited a new fundamental right that would allow every Indian citizen to hoist the national flag on all days of the year. After this landmark ruling, Mr. Naveen Jindal and his wife Ms. Shallu Jindal, established the Flag Foundation of India.

One of the primary objectives of the Foundation is to instill, in the citizens of India, a sense of pride in the Tiranga, their national flag. In order to spread the symbolism of the Tiranga, the Flag Foundation will use all available mediums such as music, art, photography, cultural programmes, festivals, seminars and workshops. This also includes collaborations with other civil societies and advocacy groups, corporate houses, educationists and other like-minded individuals, with a special focus on children and the youth of India.

The Foundation launched a travelling art exhibition, Tiranga- Rights & Responsibilities, which has been exhibited at the India Habitat Centre (New Delhi), Jaipur Virasat Festival (Jaipur) and Jehangir Art Gallery (Mumbai). It will now travel to Kolkata, Hyderabad and other parts of the country.

In January 2005, the Foundation produced an international coffee table book, Tiranga-A Celebration of the Indian Flag. Professionals and amateurs from across the country contributed images that represented the relationship between the Tiranga and its people. The book features the photographic vision of more than seventy of India's photographers including T. S. Satyan, Raghu Rai, Avinash Pasricha, Ram Rahman, Prashant Panjiar, Dayanita Singh and Swapan Parekh. The real star of this book is however the Indian tricolour itself, explored with a lot of energy and freshness across India and in a variety of situations. An exhibition featuring many of the works out of the book held at National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in the year 2005.

Tiranga Tera Anchal an audio album of melodious songs on the Tiranga. The music has been composed by well known composer Vanraj Bhatia. Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, Sadhna Sargam, Shreya Ghoshal, Vinod Rathore, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan have lent their voices for the vocals. The lyrics have been composed by well-known lyricists Santosh Anand, Nida Fazili, Mehboob and Bashir Badr.

The Indian Tricolour, a book authored by Cdr. K.V. Singh (Retd.). Comprehensively researched, the book is a definitive account of the Indian tricolour, detailing its history and evolution. It will serve as an authentic reference for both students and scholars.

Each year the Foundation organises a Tiranga Run and participants include people of all ages in different parts of the country. Foundation organized a Run for Tiranga, an athletic fun run, to increase awareness to display the National Flag involving people from all walks of life, especially athletes and school children in New Delhi and in other parts of the country.

To mark the Independence Day celebrations, Tiranga Fest, a six-day festival was organized at Dilli Haat, New Delhi in the year 2005. Dilli Haat was decorated in the colours of Tiranga. There were various handicrafts and events supporting the theme.