Lastly, Sir, green reminds me of the fact that it was the emblem of the upsurge of India’s freedom. Green was the emblem of the Flag which was raised by Bahadur Shah in 1857. But it has more than a sentimental or symbolical value to us Muslims because green was the colour of the Flag of the Muslims from the time of the great Prophet of Arabia thirteen centuries ago. Some may regret that the Charkha which was the emblem of the masses has been replaced by the Dharma chakra of Asoka. But I consider that it was really a heaven-born inspiration of the authorities that this Chakra now takes the place of the Charkha. Although the Charkha was the emblem of our self-help and of our approach to the common masses and was embodied in our activities by the message of the Mahatma, yet towards the later stage the ideal of Charkha had been polluted, the instruction or inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi had been deviated from and those who wore the Charkha which was the symbol of non-violence were most violent in their actions which at one time Pandit Nehru had at great personal risk to assuage. The Dharma chakra of Asoka reminds us of the condition of the people at the time of that great Buddhist Emperor of India. He ruled not for his personalaggrandisement but for the contentment, peace and prosperity of the people under his charge. This emblem now embodied in our National Flag ought to remind every administrator and every citizen of the federation of India that we should forget the past and look to the future and try to carry on the tradition of that great Buddhist Emperor Asoka, and we should be reminded at all times that we are here not only for our material prosperity but also for our spiritual advancement. This Chakra was a religious emblem and we cannot dissociate our social life from our religious environments.
