After the union govt announced that a Chola-era sceptre named ‘Sengol’ will be installed at the new parliament building, and it was used as a symbol of the transfer of power in 1947, the Congress party has been alleging the govt of lying about the sceptre. The govt has said that the historic sceptre ‘Sengol’ was received by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on August 14, 1947, to represent the transfer of power from the Britishers to India. The same spectre will be handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the head priest of Madurai Adheenam on May 28.
Several left-wing publications, including The Hindu and The News Minute, have claimed that while there is no doubt that the Sengol was given to Nehru by the seers of Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam, they claimed that it was just a gift by the Math to the first PM, and it was not used a symbol of the transfer of power. Following that, Congress leaders started to quote those reports to allege that the govt is lying about the history of the Sengol. After boycotting the inauguration of the new parliament, they also started to target the government over the Sengol issue.
On the other hand, Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam has slammed the Congress party and the media for their claims, and has asserted that they have records to show that the sceptre was used to represent the transfer of power. According to the Math and the govt, the sceptre was first handed over to Lord Mountbatten by the seers of the math, who gave it back to them, after which it was handed over to Nehru.
However, the Congress party continues to claim that Sengol was just a personal gift to Nehru, and there is no symbolism attached to it. Pro-Congress journalists have also started to play their role in this row over the Indic symbol of the transfer of power.
On 27th May 2023, journalist Pankaj Pachauri, who was the media advisor of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, tweeted to comment on the symbol of the transfer of power. Pachauri claimed that handing over the Sengol was not the symbol of the transfer of power in August 1947, and the actual symbol was the hoisting of the tricolour and simultaneous lowering of the British flag union jack. Pachauri also identified the BJP and its supporters as ‘Keertan Mandali’.
Pankaj Pachauri tweeted, “The real “transfer of power” was when the Union Jack (A) was lowered and our Tiranga (B) was hoisted in front of the outgoing colonial head, peacefully. Now the Keertan Mandali never respected the Tiranga or the Independence so inventing a spectre for spectacle! So…”
Pachauri also posted screenshots from a video which showed a familiar footage of the Union Jack and then the Tricolour going un on the same pole.
Union Jack was lowered on 16th August 1947
In this tweet, there is an attempt being made to depict that the symbol of the transfer of power was not the ‘Sengol’ but rather the lowering of the British flag, the union jack and then the hoisting of the Indian flag. However, this is not the case. While Pankaj Pachauri has claimed that the union jack was lowered and the tricolour was hoisted during the transfer of power in 1947, it must be noted that this was not done simultaneously.
And if at all, only the change in the flags is to be called a transfer of power, it becomes necessary to make it clear that the process did not happen all at once in a single go. While the tricolour was hoisted on 15th August 1947, the union jack was not ceremoniously lowered in Delhi. The reasons behind this disclose the colonial mindset of Jawaharlal Nehru – the ideological predecessor of a so-called journalist like Pankaj Pachauri.
Contrary to popular belief, the iconic imagery of the union jack being lowered and the tricolour being raised on Independence Day, August 15, 1947, which is shown in many movies and documentaries related to Indian independence, is a misrepresentation. In reality, the union jack was never officially lowered on that historic day. While it was originally planned that the union jack will be lowered and the tricoloured will be hoisted on 15 August, it actually didn’t happen, and the tricolour was simply hoisted by Nehru on that day at Princess Park in Delhi.
The lesser-known fact regarding the union jack not being lowered on Independence Day, August 15, 1947, is documented in a confidential and personal report (No.17) dated August 16, 1947, authored by Rear Admiral Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, who served as the Viceroy, Governor General, and Crown Representative of India.
Mountbatten’s account of the events on August 15 is documented in the report stored at the India Office in London, referenced as L/PO/6/123: FF 245-63. In this record, Mountbatten said, “At six pm the great event was to take place – the salutation of the new Dominion flag. This programme had originally included a ceremonial lowering of the Union Jack, but when I discussed this with Nehru, he entirely agreed that this was the day they wanted everybody to be happy, and if the lowering of the Union Jack in any way offended British susceptibilities, he would certainly see that it did not take place, the more so as the Union Jack would still be flown on a dozen days a year in the Dominion.”
Let’s have a closer look at the chronology of the events. After attending the Independence Day ceremony in Pakistan on August 14, Mountbatten returned from Karachi. It was during this time that Indian leaders informed him of their desire for him to assume the role of interim Governor General of India for a short duration. This proposal was formally presented during the midnight session of the Constituent Assembly on August 14 and was unanimously accepted. Following this momentous decision, Nehru delivered his renowned “Tryst with Destiny” speech and raised the Indian flag for the very first time.
The 15th of August, 1947 commenced with the official swearing-in ceremony of Mountbatten in the Durbar Hall located in the Viceroy House, now known as Rashtrapati Bhavan. The primary event was scheduled to take place at Princess Park near the India Gate. Initially, the plan was for the union jack to be lowered and the Prime Minister to hoist the tricolour, followed by a modest parade. However, the program underwent a last-minute change, as noted in Mountbatten’s memoir, altering the planned sequence of events. Thus, lowering the British flag was skipped, and only the Indian flag was hoisted by the first PM, and this was done at Princess Park, not Red Fort, as commonly believed.
In fact, Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the tricolour flag for the first time at the Red Fort on August 16, 1947, marking the day after India gained independence. This is also acknowledged in a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB). It is possible that the union jack may have been lowered on various locations and government buildings across India during the programs held on August 15, 1947. However, it is important to note that it did not occur at the Red Fort in Delhi on that day.
However, in a popular video, it is shown that the union jack is lowered and the tricolour is hoisted at the same time. The two events did not occur simultaneously. Symbolically, they were designed to mark the end of British rule and showcase Indian independence. On August 15, 1947, no Independence Day celebrations were held at the Red Fort.
On the night of August 14-15, 1947, the tricolour flag was hoisted at the Council House which later became the Parliament House. On August 16, 1947, at 8:30 AM, the tricolour flag was unfurled at the Red Fort. The intention was to avoid causing any offence to the sentiments of the British by removing the union jack during the ceremony, which is why the plan to lower the union jack on August 15, 1947, was not included in the program.
To prove that the incident did take place, Pachauri later posted the video from where the screenshots were taken. But it is clearly seen that the video is a montage of various moments from various places, from Pakistan and India. The video which shows the simultaneous lowering of the union jack and hosting of the tricolour could be a creative representation, or it could be from a different place. However, given that film cameras were expensive and rare equipment in those days, it is unlikely that they were available in some other place where such an event could have taken place. Therefore, the footage is most like a creative representation.
There is no historical evidence that such an event took place in Delhi on 15th August 1947. Available records show that while such an event was planned, it was cancelled.
Therefore, even if the union jack was lowered and the tricolour was hoisted simultaneously somewhere else, it can’t represent the transfer of power.
Sengol will be adopted as the national symbol
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a decision to adopt the Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal. The new building of Parliament will witness the very same event, with Adheenam Priests repeating the ceremony and vesting the PM with the Sengol.
The same Sengol from 1947 will be installed by the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha, prominently close to the Speaker’s podium. It will be displayed for the Nation to see and will be taken out on special occasions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are slated to dedicate to the nation the new Parliament building on May 28.
The establishment of Sengol makes the spirit of 15 August 1947 unforgettable. It is the symbol of the promise of boundless hope, boundless possibilities and a resolve to build a strong and prosperous nation. However, the Sengol was soon forgotten after it was given to Nehru. It was lying at Anand Bhawan museum in Allahabad, where it was mislabeled as the ‘walking stick of Jawaharlal Nehru’.
