National Flag
The Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The late Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people. The flag has three colors. The colors are: deep saffron on the top, which represent Patriotism, Courage, Sacrifice and the Spirit of renunciatio; white in the middle, which represents Peace, Purity and Truth; green at the bottom represents Prosperity, Faith and Fertility. In the center of the white band, there is a wheel with 24 spokes in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra. It represents the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital.

National Anthem
Jana Gana Mana, the Indian National Anthem was composed by Sir Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), a prominent Indian writer and philosopher who drew on Indian classical literature to compose more than one hundred books, dramas, stories, and poems. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for poems in Gitanjali, and was knighted in 1915. Jana Gana Mana was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 26, 1950 and first sung on December 27,1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas lasting approximately fifty-two seconds. Rabindranath Tagore's English anthem and translation of reads...

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

Translation:
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.

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 Bird
The peacock is India's National Bird. The scientific name of this bird is "Pava Cristatus (linnaeus)." The peacock is a colorful, swan-sized bird with a fan-shaped crest of feathers on its head, a white patch under the eye and a long slender neck. The male of the species is more colorful than the female with glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and it lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male by fanning out the tail and quivering the feathers is a gorgeous sight.

The peacock is widely found in the Indian sub-continent from the south and east of the Indus river, Jammu and Kashmir, east to Assam, south to Mizoram and the whole of the Indian penninsula.

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National Animal
The National Animal of India is the magnificent creature called the Bengal Tiger. The scientific name of the Bengal Tiger is "Tiger Panthera tigris". This tiger is a rich-coloured well-striped animal with a short coat. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger great respect and high esteem. It is found throughout the country except the north-western region, and also in the neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The tiger occupies a variety of habitats from dry open jungles, humid ever-green forests to mangrove swamps.

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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. Lotus is the National Flower of India. It occupies a significant place in Indian mythology. It is associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. It symbolizes purity, beauty and everything that is good. The lotus is generally found in white or pink colors, but blue flowers are also not unknown. The lotus is sacred for the Buddhists according to Buddhist legends.

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National Tree
The Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a largearea. 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 ofIndia. 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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National Fruit
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. Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, known as Lakhi Bagh.

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