On 2 September 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Indian Navy’s new ensign with the mighty INS Vikrant getting commissioned.
The colonial relic of St. George’s Cross which was removed by the Vajpayee government in 2001 and reintroduced by Sonia Gandhi-controlled Congress government was finally dropped from the Indian Navy’s flag.
The new ensign now features a blue octagon encompassing the national emblem that sits atop an anchor with ‘Sham No Varunah:’ (invocation to the Hindu God of Sea Varuna) written below.
The octogonal shape draws inspiration from the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who had established a formidable navy to fight external aggressors from sea.
But many have pointed (rather disappointed) saying that the motif of Cholas who were a pioneer in naval expedition must have found its place in the flag.
This is a very valid question but at the same time the hidden answer for this question is more realistic and in sync with current geopolitical situation. Let’s dive into details.
Cholas Navy is the most successful in Indian history as their conquests and military victories went deep inside South-East Asia. With such conquests, they were able to control the Malacca Strait and secure their trade routes. Such mighty conquests makes Chola symbol the perfect choice for Indian Navy symbol but when this is viewed in the point of view of South-East Asian Countries, this also represents India’s historical military dominance over South-East Asia. At present, India is developing very strong defence relations with South East Asian countries to counter Chinese aggression. South-East Asian Countries are facing Chinese aggressions in their sea zones in South-China Sea and also in larger Indo-Pacific Zones.
Countries like Indonesia and Philippines are importing Brahmos missiles from India. Vietnam is planning to purchase Indo-Israeli Barak 8 Missile Defense System. Malaysia has expressed interest to purchase LCA Tejas Aircraft from India. More South-East Asian nations are going to purchase Defence equipments from India and the prime intention of this defense partnership is to counter China.
New Chinese Strategy
China’s new geopolitical strategy to set narratives against India was well evident in Sri Lanka’s Chinese Ambassador speech where he said Sri Lanka’s northern neighbor (India) had invaded Sri Lanka multiple times. Here China indirectly refers to the conquest of Sri Lanka by Cholas and Pandyas.
Chinese is playing with the emotions of Sri Lankans by using the historical enmity to create narratives against India. Same thing is also possible with South-East Asia. Just because Chinese have territorial disputes with South-East Asia, that does not mean China doesn’t have any influence over the South-East Asian nations. China has planted pro-China groups and political parties in South-East Asia to set their narratives.
Historical wars and alliances should be juxtaposed with contemporary realities. Japan fought against Germany in World War I but Japan was with Germany in World War 2. US and Japan were enemies till second world war but became allies after that. Israel fought against gulf states few decades back but today Israel is planning to form a military alliance with Arab nations to counter Iran.
So logically, India’s historical military interests in South East Asia doesn’t mean India has similar interests today. It’s interest is not conquest.
The Message Sent By India
It is not a competition between Shivaji and Cholas on who is the greatest. Both are not contemporaries and had different goals and intentions. Both are great in their own way! Chola’s Navy symbolizes territorial conquests and Shivaji’s navy symbolizes defence. In present geopolitical chessboard, Indian Navy’s role is to defend its territories and make sure that there is no foreign intervention in Indian Ocean region. Shivaji’s navy is known for defending India against external aggressors.
Hence Shivaji’s seal has been preferred thus signaling that India will defend its territory and stop foreign influence in Indian Ocean Region.
By preferring Shivaji’s seal over the Chola motif of Tiger, India is sending a message to South East Asians. India should make sure that it doesn’t send out any wrong signals even if unintentional. The Chola symbol in Indian Navy can create a scope for China to peddle unfavourable narratives towards India. It’s good that India is acing the mindgames by not creating such an opportunity.
Who know, may be when India gets more geopolitical dominance and clout, the Chola symbol might make its way to the flag.
Watch the explanation in Tamil here:
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