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National Anthem Jana-gana-mana-
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National Insignia |
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National
Anthem
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata
Punjab-sindhu-gujarata-maratha-
Dravida-utkala-banga
Vindhya-himachala-yamuna-ganga
Ucchhala-jaladhi taranga
Tava subha name jaage
Tava subha ashisha maange
Gaahe tava jaya gaatha.
Jana-gana-mangala dayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhaata,
Jaya he, Jaya he, Jaya he,
Jaya Jaya Jaya, Jaya he. |
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The following is a
translation of
Rabindranath Tagore's rendering
of the stanza:
Thou art the ruler of the minds
of all people, dispenser of India's destiny. The name rouses the hearts
of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha, of the Dravid and Orissa and
Bengal; it echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in
the music of the Yamuna and Ganga and is chanted by the waves of the
Indian Sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The
salvation of all people is in thy hand, thou dispenser of India's
destiny. Victory, victory, victory to thee. |
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National Emblem
 The
National Emblem of India is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected in the third
century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha
first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four
quarters of the universe. The National emblem is thus symbolic of
contemporary India's reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world
peace and goodwill. The four lions (one hidden from view) - symbolising
power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is
girded by four smaller animals - guardians of the four directions: the
lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and
the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom,
exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The
motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script
means 'truth alone triumphs'. |
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National
Flag
 The
Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The late Prime
Minister Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but
a symbol of freedom to all people. The flag is a horizontal tricolor in
equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and
dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the
flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a
wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in
the Sarnath Lion Capital. Its diameter approximates the width of the
white band and it has 24 spokes. The saffron stands for courage,
sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and
truth; the green for faith and fertility. |
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National Animal
Large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped,
Panthera Tigris, maneless, of tawny yellow color with
blackish transverse stripes and white belly, proverbial for its power
and its magnificence. There are very few tigers left in the world
today. A decade ago the tiger population in India had dwindled to a few
hundreds. The Government of India, under its Project Tiger program,
started a massive effort to preserve the tiger population. Today, thanks
to Project Tiger, India's population of tigers has considerably
increased. |
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National Bird
 Male
bird of species P. cristatus, is a native of India, with
striking plumage and upper tail converts marked with iridescent
ocelli, able to expand its tail erect like fan as ostentatious display.
Found wild in India (and also domesticated in villages) they live in
jungle lands near water. They were once bred for food but now hunting
of peacocks is banned in India. The peahen has no plumage. These birds
do not sound as beautiful as they look - they have a harsh call. |
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National Flower
 The
Lotus or waterlily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea with broad floating
leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grow only in shallow waters. The
leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces.
The big attractive flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical
pattern. The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out
horizontally through the mud below the water. Lotuses, prized for their
serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the
surface of a pond. In India the sacred lotus is legendary and much
folklore and religious mythology is woven around it. |
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National Tree
Indian fig tree, Ficus
bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a
large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches.
Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree
is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends
of India. Even today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village
life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree.
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