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Old St. George’s Cross was substituted with Chhatrapati Shivaji’s seal on the new flag of the Indian Navy

Since 1950, there has been a change to the naval ensign four times.

The colonial Saint George’s Cross was replaced with a blue octagonal shape enclosing the national emblem perched atop an anchor, which was inspired by the regal seal of Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji, on Friday. This is the new “Indianized” naval ensign (Nishaan) that the Indian Navy adopted.

At the commissioning of INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi displayed the new ensign.

In his speech during the commissioning ceremony, Modi stated, “We have today shed colonial past.”

The new ensign would “do away with the colonial history… befitting the great Indian maritime legacy,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office earlier in the week.

The old Navy ensign was a white flag with red stripes running horizontally and vertically, representing the Cross of Saint George, with the Indian national flag placed at the intersection. In the upper canton, near to the staff, is where the tricolour is displayed.

The New Ensign’s nautical crest features an anchor, as ThePrint had previously reported.

Meaning of the new naval pennant
The National Flag is now displayed in the top left canton of the new naval ensign, and a navy blue-and-gold octagon is located in the middle of the fly side (away from the staff).

The national emblem, which is an image of the Lion Capital of Ashoka and is inscribed with the words “Satyamev Jayate” in blue Devanagari script, is positioned on top of an anchor and is surrounded by an octagon with twin golden edges.

The motto of the Indian Navy, “Sam No Varunah,” is written in golden Devanagari script below the shield, inside the octagon, on a navy blue ribbon with a golden border.

The octagon’s design was inspired by the Indian Naval crest, which substitutes a clean anchor for the fouled anchor, which is also connected to colonial past, to emphasise the steadfastness of the Indian Navy. The octagonal shape’s navy blue colour represents the Indian Navy’s abilities in blue waters.

The Navy claimed in a statement that Shivaji Maharaj Rajmudra, also known as the Seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji, who “established a credible Naval Fleet that won reluctant appreciation from European Navies operating in the region at the time,” served as the inspiration for the twin octagonal borders.

The Indian Navy’s global reach is symbolised by the octagonal form, which also reflects the eight directions (four cardinal and four intercardinal).

The octagon represents luck, eternity, rejuvenation, and attracts positive energy from all directions, according to the Navy.

The “glory of India’s maritime past” and our Navy’s current capabilities are reflected in the new Naval White Ensign, it was noted.

The Vajpayee administration changed the naval ensign four times total.
Since 1950, changes to the Naval Ensign have occurred four times.

When India became a republic on January 26, 1950, the Navy Crest and flags were officially “Indianized.” The crimson St. George’s Cross was still present on the latter (Ensign and Distinguishing Flags), even though India’s tricolour took the place of the Union flag.

The crimson St. George’s Cross was preserved by the Indian Navy until 2001, but other former colonial Navies did away with it in their new ensigns and flags during the post-colonial era.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s administration revised the ensign’s appearance on August 15, 2001, and the Cross emerged from the Indian Navy ensign.

Vice Admiral Vivian Barboza had the notion to alter the Navy’s ensign in the early 1970s. Later, Admiral Barboza left his position as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command to retire from the Indian Navy.

However, the original emblem was approved once more with some alterations in April 2004, a month before the UPA government was sworn in, in response to objections from the force that the navy’s blue naval crest was too similar to the sky and the ocean. With the insertion of the Indian emblem at its intersection, the ensign was once again altered to St. George’s Cross.

The national anthem “Satyameva Jayate” was added to the navy crest and ensign in 2014 along with the Devanagari script.

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