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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. While serving as a diplomat in 1948, he had undertaken the task of starting the Embassy of India, Brussels. He also served as Indian ambassador in Jakarta, Tehran, Bonn and Tokyo.

Early life

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.

Career

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."

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.

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

References

1. "Badruddin Tayabji, News Photo, The Times of India captures in". Timescontent.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
2. Reed, Sir Stanley (1961). "The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's Who". Retrieved 5 January 2016.
3. "Aligarh Muslim University || Public Relations Officer". Amu.ac.in. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
4. Metcalf, Barbara D. (8 September 2009). Islam in South Asia in Practice. Princeton University Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-1400831388. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
5. "Matches for Badruddin Faiz Tyabji, ICS". MyHeritage. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
6. "India and the European Union Milestones -PDF" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
7. Prince who was envoy in '47
8. "Previous Indian Ambassadors to the Federal Republic of Germany". Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
9. Khan, Naseem (15 June 2004). "Kamila Tyabji". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
10. Royle, Trevor (1989). The Last Days of the Raj. Joseph. ISBN 9780718129040.
11. "This Woman Made a Big Contribution in Designing the Indian Flag and Sadly, No One Knows Who She is". 12 November 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
12. "My India My Pride - Indian Tricolor - Know India: National Portal of India". knowindia.india.gov.in. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
13. Brussels in winter
14. "Family tree of Faiz Hasan Tyabji (a Bombay High Court judge). It shows his father as Badruddin Tyabji (the Congress leader), and his son as Badruddin Tyabji (the ICS officer)". 24 December 1877. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

• 1907 births
• 1995 deaths
• Vice-chancellors of Aligarh Muslim University
• Indian people of Arab descent
• Tyabji family
• Ambassadors of India to West Germany
• Ambassadors of India to Indonesia
• Ambassadors of India to Belgium
• Ambassadors of India to Iran
• Ambassadors of India to Japan