Badruddin Tyabji (diplomat)

Badruddin Faiz Tyabji (1907–1995) was a senior Indian Civil Service officer, who served as Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, from 1962 to 1965.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} While serving as a diplomat in 1948, he had undertaken the task of starting the Embassy of India, Brussels.^[6][7] He also served as Indian ambassador in Jakarta, Tehran, Bonn and Tokyo.^[8]

Early life[edit]

He was born in Bombay. His father was Faiz Tyabji, a judge of Bombay High Court. His sister Kamila Tyabji was a lawyer and philanthropist.^{[citation needed][9]}

Career[edit]

Historian Trevor Royle wrote in his book The Last Days of the Raj that Tyabji designed the final form of the current National Flag of India, the tricolour with Ashoka's Dharmachakra in the centre, and that his wife, Surayya Tyabji, made the first copy that flew on Nehru's car on the night of independence.

Royle wrote,

"By one of those contradictions which run through India’s history, the national flag was designed by a Muslim, Badr-ud-Din Tyabji. Originally the tricolour was to have contained the spinning-wheel symbol ( charkha ) used by Gandhi but this was a party symbol, which Tyabji thought might strike the wrong note. After much persuasion Gandhi agreed to the wheel because the Emperor Ashoka was venerated by Hindu and Muslim alike. The flag which flew on Nehru’s car that night had been specially made by Tyabji’s wife."^[10][11]

It was approved , accepted and adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947.^[12]

His daughter is Laila Tyabji, a Padma Shri awardee.^[13] His grand-father was the Indian National Congress leader, Badruddin Tyabji.^[14]

References[edit]