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New Delhi: The Indian Air Force will unveil its new flag at the annual Air Force ( Air Force) Day parade in Prayagraj on Sunday to better reflect its values. The move comes more than a year after the Navy changed its flag, abandoning its colonial past. Public Relations Officer of the Defense Department, Group Captain Sameer Gangakhedkar said that today i.e. on October 8, on the occasion of Air Force Day, Air Force Chief V.R. Choudhary will unveil the new Air Force flag.
This year, the Air Force is completing the 91st year of its establishment, to commemorate which a grand air show is being organized here in the Sangam area on October 8, in which many aircraft including Chinook, Chetak, Jaguar, Apache, Rafale will showcase their strength. . The Air Force said, ‘October 8 will be recorded as an important day in the history of the Indian Air Force. On this historic day, the Chief of the Air Staff will unveil the new flag of the Air Force. The new flag will have the Indian Air Force emblem in the top right corner. The Air Force was officially established on October 8, 1932.
In recognition of its professional efficiency and achievements during World War II, the force was awarded the ‘Royal’ prefix in March 1945. Therefore, it became the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). In 1950, after India became a republic, the Air Force removed its ‘Royal’ prefix and amended the flag. According to a release issued by PIB, ‘Going back in history, the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) flag consisted of the Union Jack in the upper left canton and the RIAF roundel (red, white and blue) on the fly side. After Independence, the flag of the Indian Air Force was created by replacing the Union Jack in the lower right canton with the Indian tricolor and the RAF roundels with the IAF ‘Tri Color Roundel’.
The canton is a rectangular symbol placed at the top left of the flag, usually occupying one quarter of the flag. The canton of a flag may be a flag in itself. According to the release, the ‘ensign’ now has the national emblem Ashoka symbol on top of the Air Force crest on the fly side in the upper right corner and the words ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in Devanagari below it.
Below the Ashoka symbol is a Himalayan Garuda with its wings spread, representing the fighting qualities of the Indian Air Force. A light blue ring surrounds the Himalayan Garuda, on which is written ‘Indian Air Force’. The motto of the Indian Air Force ‘Nabh Sprisham Deeptam’ inscribed in golden Devanagari letters below the Himalayan Garuda is taken from Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 Verse 24 and means ‘Touching the Sky with Splendor’.
