The national flag of India is called as Tiranga, which mean tricolour.

It is a horizontal, rectangle shaped flag and has three different colors in equal proportion. Saffron color at top, white at middle and green at the bottom. The width:length ration of flag is 2:3.

The center of white colored band has a navy-blue colored wheel which represents the chakra. The navy-blue wheel has 24 spokes and its diameter equivalent to the width of white band.

• Indian national flag discovered during the national struggle of freedom

• The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the design of National flag on 22 July 1947

• It went through various changes.

The colors of National flag represents different meaning. Topmost saffron color indicates the strength & courage of country.

The white color band represents the peace & truth with Dharma Chakra while the green colour indicates the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land of India.

The flag is based on the Swaraj flag designed by Pingali Venkayya.

जन-गण-मन अधिनायक जय हे, भारत भाग्य विधाता !

पंजाब-सिंधु-गुजरात-मराठा, द्राविड़-उत्कल-बङ्ग

विंध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा, उच्छल जलधि तरंग

तव शुभ नामे जागे, तव शुभ आशिष मांगे

गाहे तब जय गाथा।

जन-गण-मंगलदायक जय हे, भारत भाग्य विधाता!

जय हे! जय हे! जय हे! जय जय जय जय हे!

The National Anthem of India is the most liked song that is played at various occasions throughout the country.

The Government of India has issued instructions about the right version of the National Anthem, the occasions it needs to be played on, and the need for paying the right respects by observing the right behavior on these occasions. The first stanza of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950. It was written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911.

वन्दे मातरम्।

सुजलाम् सुफलाम्

मलयजशीतलाम्

शस्यश्यामलाम् मातरम्।

वन्दे मातरम्।

शुभ्रज्योत्स्नाम्

पुलकितयामिनीम्

फुल्लकुसुमित

द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्

सुहासिनीम्

सुमधुर भाषिणीम्

सुखदाम् वरदाम्

मातरम्।।

वन्दे मातरम्।

Vande Mataram is a Sanskrit poem written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee which he included in his 1882 Bengali novel Anandamath.

The song was an inspiration to the people in the struggle for freedom.

The poem was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The first two verses of the song were adopted as the National Song of India.

On 24 January 1950 by the Constituent Assembly of India.

The state emblem is adopted from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. The state emblem was adopted on 26th January 1950.

In the original emblem, there are four lions standing back to back and in the one adopted by the Government of India, there are three lions that are visible and the fourth one is hidden.

Forming an integral part of the emblem is the motto inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script: "Satyameva Jayate" (English: Truth Alone Triumphs), a quote taken from Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu Vedas.

The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.

The symbol of the Indian Rupee depicts India’s international identity For financial Deals And Economic Strength.

In the past, the symbol of Indian Rupees was Rs and now it is ₹. This new symbol was designed by Udhya Kumar Dharmalingam. His design was the one selected from the top five shortlisted symbols.

The Ministry of Finance run an open contest amongst the residents of India and had accumulated thousands of entries. This new symbol was presented to the public on 15th July 2010 by the Government of India.

The symbol is the amalgamation of Devanagari ‘Ra’ and Roman capital ‘R’ with two parallel horizontal lines at the top. These lines represent the national flag of India.

"Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit: सत्यमेवजयते satyam-a-jayate; lit. "Truth alone triumphs.") is a mantra from the ancient Indian scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Upon independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India. It is inscribed in script at the base of the national emblem.

Hindi (हिन्दी)

भारत हमारा देश है ।

हम सब भारत वासी भाई-बहन है ।

हमें अपना देश प्राण से भी प्यारा है ।

इसकी समृद्धि और विविध संस्कृति पर हमें गर्व है ।

हम इसके सुयोग्य अधिकारी बनने का सदा प्रयत्न करते रहेंगे ।

हम अपने माता-पिता, शिक्षको और गुरुजनों का सदा आदर करेंगे ।

तथा सबके साथ शिष्टता का व्यवहार करेंगे।

हम अपने देश और देशवासियों के प्रति वफादार रहने की प्रतिज्ञा करते है ।

उनके कल्याण और समृद्धि में ही हमारा सुख निहित है ।

English

India is my country

All Indians are my brothers and sisters.

I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.

I shall always strive to be worthy of it.

I shall give my parents, teachers, and all elders respect, and treat everyone with courtesy.

To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.

In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness

Jai Hind!

It was written in Telugu by Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao in 1962. Central Advisory Board on Education directed that the pledge to be sung in Schools and that this practice to be introduced by 26 January 1965. It is commonly recited by Indians in unison at public events, especially in schools, and during the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.

Lotus is a sacred flower and has a special position in art and mythology of ancient India. It is even an auspicious symbol of the Indian culture since time-worn.

Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, Egyptian bean or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is often colloquially called a water lily. It is the national flower of India and Vietnam

Our country holds a rich variety of flora. At present (as in June 2020), India ranks at the fourth position in Asia and tenth position in the world in plant diversity. Currently, India has over 15000 species of flowering plants which account for a little over 6% of the total plant species in the world.

The Indian fig tree is the tree whose branches root out like new trees over a huge area. The roots grow more branches and trunks.

This is the main feature along with its longevity, which made it immortal and an important part of legends as well as myths in India.

Even in the 21st century, the Banyan tree is an important point of village life and is the place where the village council meets.

Our national calendar is based on the Saka Era, having Chaitra as the first month. It has a regular year of 365 days that was taken into consideration from 22nd March 1957 with the Gregorian calendar for the below-mentioned purposes:

• Gazette of India

• Calendars issued by the Government of India

• Government communications that are addressed to the people of India

• News broadcast by the All India Radio

The dates of the national calendar have a perpetual correspondence with the dates of the Gregorian calendar like 1 Chaitra falling on the 22nd March in a normal year and on 21st March in a leap year.

The Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) is designated as the national bird of India. It is colourful, swan sized, with the fan-shaped comb of feathers, a long neck, and a white patch below the eye.

A bird indigenous to the subcontinent, the peacock represents the unity of vivid colours and finds references in Indian culture. On February 1, 1963, The Government of India had decided to have the Peacock as the national bird of India.

The male specie of peacock is more powerful than the female specie and has around 200 longitude feathers. The female specie is brownish a little smaller than the mail one and lacks a tail. The Peacock dance is a wonderful sight and you are considered lucky if you have witnessed it.

As you all know, the magnificent tiger has a thick yellow coat of fur and dark stripes on it. Grace, agility, strength, and power has earned the animal its dignity as the national animal of India.

The Bengal tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies that is native to the Indian subcontinent.

To save the dwindling population of this powerful giant animal, ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973. There are currently 50 tiger reserves in the entire country and close 3000 tigers, as in June 2020.

The south Asian rive Dolphine is a threatened freshwater dolphin that is found in the Indian subcontinent. These are split into 2 subspecies, the Indus river dolphin and the Ganges river dolphin.

The Ganges river dolphins are found in the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, having branches in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

From the 1970s to 1998, the Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphins were considered as different species, but in 1998, they were classified as subspecies of the same species.

On October 22, 2010, India declares elephants as the national heritage animal to conserve the species and protect it from dwindling.

India is the home to more than 50% Asian elephants, making is essential for saving the animal. Currently, as of June 2020, there are a little over 27,000 elephants left in the wild, which is a very shameful thing because there were a million in the 90s.

The Indian culture, philosophy, and religion give king cobra a noteworthy aspect and perspective. It is the national reptile of India because it is associated with Lord Shiva’ ornament. It is also seen by many as the Demi-God.

King cobra is found in the forests of India and Southeast Asia. It is the longest venomous snake in the world which can grow up to 19 ft and also live for as long as 25 years.

The national microbe of India is the Lactobacillus Bulgarius which is used in the formation of yogurt.

It is originally found in the gastrointestinal tract of the mammals living in Bulgaria. Most countries make this microbe artificially.

Hockey has a rich history in India. It was first introduced to the country by British servicemen in the 19th century, with clubs being formed soon after in Calcutta in 1885. Since then, hockey has undoubtedly entrenched itself as one of India’s most popular sports. Hockey has seen a golden era during 1928-1956, when India won 6 consecutive gold medals in the Olympics. At that time India had played 24 Olympic matches and won all of them.

If you are one of those yesteryear kids who grew up believing hockey was the national sport of the country, you are in for a shock. India does not recognize any particular sport as their ‘national game.’ This has been confirmed by the Sports Ministry of India.

This revelation came to light when a young 12-year-old girl name Aishwarya Parashar filed an RTI request to the Prime Minister’s Office in order to get certified copies of orders related to the declaration of the national anthem, sport, song, bird, animal, flower and the country’s symbol. The query about the national sport was forwarded to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. In response to the RTI, the Sports Ministry confirmed that it had not declared any sport or game as the ‘national game.’

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/top-stories/hockey-is-not-our-national-game-ministry/articleshow/15322482.cms

The Ganga is a cross border river of South Asia that flows through two countries – India and Bangladesh.

The river is 2,601 kilometres long and originates from the Indian state of Uttarakhand from the Gangotri glacier of western Himalayas. The river then flows east and south through the Gangetic Plain of India and Bangladesh. It then empties into the Bay of Bengal.

The Ganga provides water to millions of people who live along the course. It is worshipped by the people as the goddess Ganga in the Hindu religion.

Laddu is known as the mother of all sweets in India. It is a round sweet from the Indian subcontinent. The name Laddu originated from the word Lattika in Sanskrit.

This super delicious sweet ball is made from flour, ghee/oil/butter, and sugar. Many people in the country also add a few nuts and raisins to it. The ingredients used differ from recipe to recipe. Laddus are served during religious ceremonies and festivities.

Gond laddus are rich in calcium, magnesium, and protein and they strengthen bones. This is what makes them ‘medicinal’ in Ayurveda.

Lassi is a cold and refreshing drink made out of traditional Dahi/yogurt that originated in Punjab and is super popular in the northern part of India.

Lassi is a blend of dahi, water, spices (if spicy)/sugar (if sweet) and fruit, sometimes. Sweet lassis are extremely popular all over the country. Salty lassi is similar is buttermilk, which is of a thinner consistency.

The national vegetable of India ‘Indian Pumpkin’ is the one that is consumed to a large extent throughout the country. Indian pumpkin is commonly known as ‘Kaddu’ in our country.

The Indian pumpkin looks exactly like the regular pumpkin but tastes like the butternut squash. The commonly made dish using Indian pumpkin is ‘meetha kaddu’.

Mango is known as the king of fruits in India. It is most commonly known as ‘Aam’ in India.

It is widely loved to be eaten. It is a fleshy fruit, that needs to be eaten ripe, and when green, it is used for pickles. It’s juicy and power-packed with Vimains A, D, and C.

Our country cultivates over 100 varieties of mangoes, in a different color, size, and shape. Mangoes are available for consumption from late February to early September.

A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat.