### First Flag Hoisted on Red Fort Made in Dausa, Rajasthan
By: Gopendra Nath Bhatt
New Delhi. The entire nation will celebrate the 78th Independence Day tomorrow, on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the national flag from the historic Red Fort in New Delhi and then address the nation. Prime Minister Modi has named the 75th anniversary of independence as the "Amrit Mahotsav." He has undertaken the ambitious Central Vista Project in New Delhi, inaugurating the new Kartavya Path and Parliament building as symbols of a self-reliant India, rising above the remnants of colonial rule.
Since 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been running the "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign. This initiative began on July 22, 2022, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of India's independence. Millions of people have participated in this campaign. In 2022, the national flag was hoisted in over 23 crore homes, and 6 crore people uploaded selfies with the flag on harghartiranga.com. In 2023, over 10 crore people uploaded their selfies under this campaign. The campaign received overwhelming support not only within the country but also internationally, with iconic buildings worldwide illuminated in the colors of the Indian tricolor. The Indian diaspora also showed great enthusiasm for the "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign.
Even after 77 years of independence, very few people know that the tricolor flag hoisted by the country's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first morning of independence in 1947 at the historic Red Fort in Delhi, was made in Aluda village in Dausa district, Rajasthan. However, this has not been officially confirmed by the Indian government.
On Independence Day, the tricolor is hoisted in every district of the country. On this occasion, citizens feel proud and pay homage to the tricolor, a symbol of the nation's pride, and remember the martyrs of independence. The people of Dausa district in Rajasthan also experience a unique sense of pride on this day, as the tricolor has a special connection with Dausa. It is said that the first flag hoisted at the Red Fort was made by a weaver named Chauthmal from Aluda village in Dausa. It is also said that before the first tricolor was hoisted, the responsibility for its preparation was entrusted to Deshpande and General Todd of the Charkha Union. During this time, three flags were brought from different parts of the country: one from Aluda village in Dausa, another from Govindgarh in Alwar district, Rajasthan, and the third from another location. It is believed that the flag made by weaver Chauthmal of Aluda was the one hoisted as the national flag at the Red Fort, although there is no written proof available.
The art of flag-making by the weavers of Dausa continues to this day. The Khadi Committee of Dausa also acknowledges that while the flag hoisted in Delhi on the first morning of independence came from various parts of the country, it was the tricolor made in Dausa that was given the honor of being hoisted from the historic Red Fort for the first time in the free air. Since then, the name of Dausa district in Rajasthan has been linked with history and discussion surrounding the tricolor.
In our country, there are three major places where the fabric for the tricolor has been traditionally produced: Nanded in Maharashtra, Hubli in Karnataka, and Dausa in Rajasthan. The Khadi Committee in Dausa used to produce the fabric for the tricolor, which was then sent to Mumbai, where Khadi Dyers and Printing Press imprinted the tricolor on the fabric.
It is said that the tricolor flag hoisted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at the Congress session just before independence is still preserved at the house of Anju Nagar, who hails from Neemrana in Alwar district, Rajasthan, and now resides in Meerut (Hastinapur). According to her cousin, Tarun Rawal, this flag was hoisted at the last Congress session in Meerut in 1946. The Nagar family has carefully preserved this historic tricolor to this day. This tricolor is 14 feet wide and 9 feet long.
The Indian tricolor holds a unique pride, having made its mark worldwide. Whether at the Olympic Games or in any other field of achievement, the tricolor proudly flutters in the sky to the melodious tune of our national anthem. With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, India has also earned the honor of hoisting its tricolor on the moon.
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