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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 JAGE
TAVA SUBHA ASHISHA MAGE
GAHE TAVA JAYA GATHA.
JANA-GANA-MANGALA DAYAKA, JAYA HE
BHARATA-BHAGYA-VIDHATA,
JAYA HE, JAYA HE, JAYA HE,
JAYA JAYA JAYA, JAYA HE
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.
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'.
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
tricolour 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.
National
Animal - Tiger
 The
tiger or Panthera Tigris is a large carnivorous feline, mane less and of
tawny yellow colour with blackfish transverse stripes and white belly. It is
proverbial of its power and 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 programme, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger
population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India's population of tigers has
considerably increased.
National
Bird - Peacock
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. Peacocks are related
to pheasants.
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.
National
Flower - Lotus
 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.
National
Tree - Banyan
 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.
National
Fruit - Mango
 A
fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera
indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated
fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins
A, C and D. In India there are over100 varieties of mangoes, in different
sizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes, have been cultivated in India from time
immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its
taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Mughal emperor Akbar planted 100,000 mango
trees in Darbhanga, Bihar at a place now known as Lakhi Bagh.
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