INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY
With August 15th around the corner it’s time to reminiscence about the past and bring out that oh so deeply buried feeling of nationalism and unity!
India has a deep and rich history that calls out to every Indian, binding us in this feeling of pride and community. Even just hearing the tales of India’s independence struggles gives me (and I would like to think most other Indians as well) chills, it invokes a feeling of intense pride like no other.
So as of 66 years after attaining freedom here are some interesting facts about India that go perfectly with the nostalgic feeling that envelopes us around this time of the year.
Did you know? India’s national flag has changed multiple times over the years; the first official flag was hoisted on August 7, 1906 and was very different from the Indian flag as we know it today.
Then the Indian flag was made of horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green, in that order. The top strip of red was embellished with 8 white lotuses and the bottom stripe of green had a white crescent and a star on the right corner and a white sun on the left corner.
Gandhi’s version of the flag in 1921.
Our current flag embodies the strength and versatility of this country, the saffron strip stands for courage and sacrifice, the middle white strip stands for peace, truth and purity and the bottom green stripe stands for chivalry, faith and fertility. The Ashok Chakra in the centre stands for righteousness.
Did you know? When India became independent, we had no National Anthem! Even though Jana Gana Mana was written in 1911, it was made the official anthem only in 1950.
Did you know? India shares its independence day with South Korea, Bahrain & Republic of the Congo! This day was chosen by Lord Mountbatten as it commemorated the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the Allied Forces!
Did you know? Hindi is not the national language of India, but the official language! In fact India has no national language.
Did you know? India’s Sanskrit name is Bharat Ganarajaya! The name India comes from theIndus River, around which one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations settled at one point!
Did you know? When Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, was featured in Vogue magazine sporting his trademark Nehru Jacket, it sparked a new trend world wide and became so famous that it made it on the global fashion statement Time list! Soon famous personalities like The Beatles, Johnny Carson and even the fictional character James Bond were seen in this trendy Jacket!
I am filled by a sense of pride when I think of all that India has contributed to society since the beginning of time. A hotbed of culture and spirituality India has for years attracted the attention of various countries in the west.
We gave the world the number system, with Aryabhatta giving the world zero. We are thesecond largest pool of scientists, engineers and doctors in the world and before the British Rule we were the richest country In the world.
We have a lot to be proud of, and a lot that we have achieved since the start of time, so it’s no wonder that as we move closer to Independence Day, the air is infused with pride and intense nationalism coupled with the feeling of being infallible. It took years to get where we are today, and it’s no wonder that we hold our head up high simply because we had the good fortune to be born into this enigmatic land.