Indian Navy’s new ensign

September 3, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled the new ensign of the Indian Navy which takes inspiration from the seal of the great Indian emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Key Points

This new ensign has two main components: the canton national ensign in the upper left, and a navy blue-gold octagon in the center of the fly side away from the staff.
St. George’s Cross has been removed from this new ensign. Now the tricolor is drawn in the top left. Next to it is the emblem of Ashoka in gold on a blue background. Below it is written ‘Sham no Varunah’ in Sanskrit language. It means that Varuna, the god of water, is auspicious for us.
The blue octagonal shape in this new ensign represents the eight directions, symbolizing the multi-faceted reach and multi-functional operational capability of the Indian Navy, while the anchor symbol represents “firmness”.

History Behind the Naval Ensign

India became independent from the British colony, but the ensign of the Indian Navy remained a glimpse of the British period. The red cross seen on the Navy ensign is the ‘St George’s Cross’, which was once part of the English flag, the Union Jack.
It bears the insignia of the Red Cross Navy and the tricolor was placed in the top left. In the year 2001, changes were made to this ensign and the Red Cross was removed from it and in its place the Ashoka symbol was made in blue color.
However, there was a complaint that the blue color mixes with the sea and the sky, due to which it is not visible. After this it was changed again in 2004 and the Red Cross was established. But this time the Ashoka symbol was placed in the middle of the Red Cross.
In 2014, it was changed again and ‘Satyamev Jayate’ was written below the Ashoka emblem.