60-yr-old mystery: Where's the Tricolour Nehru hoisted?

As celebrations of 60 years of Independence begin across the country on Wednesday, the national flags used on this historic occasion in 1947, including the one hoisted by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, appears to have gone missing.

At the stroke of mid-night on August 14, 1947, the first Prime Minister Jawarharlal Nehru had hoisted the first Tricolour in the Central Hall of Parliament amid the presence of august audience including Lord Mountbatten.

The next day a crowd witnessed the lowering of the Union Jack and the hoisting of Indian national flag amid thunderous applause at India Gate at 0830 hrs (IST). The Tricolour was also hoisted at Red Fort on the morning of August 16.

However, 60 years down the line no one knows where these flags are. There is no official record available about the whereabouts of these flags nor is there any move to trace them.

The search at places, which could possibly have these historic mementoes, drew a blank. The National Museum, Red Fort Museum, National Archives, Nehru Memorial, MEA Toshakahana, Rashtrapati Bhawan Museum and the museum in Parliament do not have the first Independence Day flags unfurled by Nehru.

The Ministry of Culture, which is coordinating the celebration of 60th year of Independence and 150 years of 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, is also clueless about the first flag of Independent India.

"I-Day functions are handled by the Defence Ministry and they should trace it. If the flags are traced, then they could be showcased in our museum,” said Union Culture Minister Ambika Soni.

A senior Culture Ministry official said there was an attempt to trace these flags during the celebration of 50 years of Independence in 1997. The ministry had written to the Defence Ministry also for tracing the flags. But they could not be found, as there was no record available.

"We have many mementoes associated with Parliament but not the flag hoisted on 14th August night. If it can be traced we would like to exhibit it in our archive,” said Frank Christopher, Director, Parliament Archive.

Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary said, "No one knows where is the tricolour unfurled by Nehru in the Central Hall because there is no record of it. We have Nehru's "Tryst with destiny" speech in his original voice and Nehru's clay model at our recently opened museum at Parliament. But the historical flag is sadly missing."

P B S Senghar, Director Red Fort museum said "the museum was set up here in 1985 and though we tried to locate the flag of 1947, it could not be found."

The keeper at Rashtrapati Bhawan museum K K Sharma is also clueless.

"We have a flag planted by Sherpa Tenjing on the Everest Mountain in 1966 but not the first flags of Independence,” he said.

The inquiry about the flags at the National Museum, National Archive, Nehru Memorial and MEA Toshakhana also drew the negative response.