Category Communication

Don’t you think a book is much more interesting if it has lots of pictures? Pictures or illustrations also make it easier to understand things. The manuscripts of ancient times which were decorated with elaborate initials, miniature illustrations and borders were called illuminated manuscripts. Sometimes, these decorations were even made with gold and silver!Very early printed books were sometimes produced with spaces left for miniatures, or were given illuminated initials or decorations in the margin. Illustrated printed books began to appear in the late 15th century, in Germany and Italy. In earlier times, some books had been published from woodcuts, with text and illustration all carved on a single block. Early type-printed books were illuminated by hand. However, this was very expensive.  Although many early printed books, like the Gutenberg Bible, relied on hand-coloured illustrations, others quickly integrated the new printing, using moveable type for the letters, with the older woodcut traditions. Another early technique was etching, in which the lines of the picture were cut into a copper plate with acid. In either case, ink was spread over the carved illustration and applied to the paper

Typesetting is a presentation of text on paper or some other material, in a printed form. The word ‘type’ is used to denote a small block of metal or wood, bearing a raised letter or number on the upper end that leaves a printed impression when inked and pressed on paper. We know that by the middle of the 15th century, movable type had been invented in Europe by the German printer, Johann Gutenberg. By 1462, Gutenberg’s invention became accepted and the use of it spread throughout Europe.  Movable type is also called foundry type or hot type. In foundry type, each piece of type was cast into a precise size from metal which was an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony. Each piece contained a raised image of a single letter, number, or other character.  In setting type, letters were selected one at a time, and lined up in what was called a composing stick until it was almost full. Then, by using pieces of type with no face on them, spaces between words were adjusted to bring the line to the required length.  Each line of type was placed by hand in a larger box made especially for housing the type. The individually lines were laid out exactly like the page should look except that the type was backwards as if looking at it in a mirror.   The type was then inked and copies made directly from the type. When printing was finished, the type was taken apart, cleaned, and returned to the distribution box to be used again another time

The earlier flags of the Indian navy had the St. George’s Cross on them, and these were changed to an anchor within a frame surmounted by the state emblem, the Sarnath Lion.The navy blue Indian Naval Crest is also found in the flags of flag officers. Admirals fly a white flag with the red horizontal and vertical bars and the chakra in the middle. The flag of the vice admiral is similar to the Admiral’s flag with a red ball added. Rear Admirals, Commodores and senior officials all have their own flags too.   The Navy also its different badges for different positions, gunner, radar plotter, torpedo and anti-submarine officers, survey records, etc.

Many political and social movements use flags to get noticed, to attract more people, and to unify its members. The socialist movements use red flags to represent their cause. Anarchists use black flags to get attention.

While traveling by train, you might have seen railway men waving different colours flags at different times. Do you know what they mean? A red flag or a flag of any colour that is waved vigorously means only one thing…. STOP! A yellow flag tells the train driver to proceed with care, while a green, white or blue flag reassures him that it is okay to proceed.  A blue flag stuck on the side of a train means that it should not be moved because someone is working on it. A blue flag on a track means that nothing on that track should be moved. At night, the flags are replaced by lights of the same colour

Sports flags, in some form or other have been used in sports for years. They are used by officials to signify to the fans, other players and officials that a rule has been broken. They are also use to communicate drivers during motor sports, and with participants of water sports.  Soccer, rugby and football all have flags that are carried by the linesman and referees to signal when a rule has been broken. Other sports where flags are used are car racing, cycling and yachting rowing go –cart racing, and motorcycle racing. Fans of almost all sports wave flags in the stands to indicate support to their team. Many sports teams and organizations have their own flags. The most famous of these is the flag of the Olympic Games.

Flags have been in use since ancient times, and the oldest state flag still in use is that of Denmark. It has a white cross on a red background, and this cross was later adopted by other countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.The flag of Denmark is called the Dannenberg which means ‘the cloth of the Danes’ According to Danish legend, the flag fell from the sky on June 15, 1219, to the Danish king Valdemar ll. This makes it the oldest national flag in Europe still in use. The first recorded use of this flag was in the 1300s.

A flag in the air, and the word ‘flag ‘comes from an ancient Saxon word ‘flakken’ which means to fly or float in  the air. The word came into use between the 15th to the 16th centuries in various northern European languages. It signified a piece of cloth, bunting, or similar material that displayed the insignia of a community, an armed force, an office, or an individual.

Semaphore is a flag signaling systems. In this system the letters of the alphabet are signaled by waving a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern. The flags are usually square. They are red and yellow in colour and divided diagonally with the red portion on top.  The flags are held, arms extended, in various positions representing each of the letters of the alphabet. The pattern resembles a clock face divided into eight positions. Numbers are shown by special signals. Semaphore signals were used to exchange messages between other, but could see each other, but could not hear each other. They were used by railways to communicate with train drivers. Semaphore signals have generally given way to color light signals although there are still many places where semaphore signaling is in use.