(IGP) IAS Pre: GS - Gist of Indian Year Book - National Symbols & Art and Culture

National Flag

• On August 1, l906 at Parsee Began Square (Green Park , Calcutta the first national flag of India was hosted. It was a boycott day against the partition of Beganla and Sir Surendranath Banerjee hosted this flag to mark the unity of India.

• Madam Cama on 22nd of August 1907 at Stuttgrat, Gerinazw, hoisted the flag and attained the status of the first Indian flag to be hoisted at the foreign land.
• In 1916 Pingali Venkatija, a writer and a geophysicst, designed a flag with the intention to bring the whole nation together.He metMahatma Gandhi and sought his approval.Mahatma Gandhi suggested him to incorporate ‘Charkha the symbole of economic regeneration of India, in the flag.
• The National Flag of India is based on the flag of the Indian National Congress (INC), which was designed by Pingali Vena of Andhra Pradesh and adopted in 1931 (Karachi Session).

• 1947: When India got independence, a committee headed by Rajinder Prasad was formed to discuss the National Flag of India and they decided to adopt the flag of Indian National Congress, with suitable modifications, as the flag of India. As a result, the flag of 1931was adopted as Indian flag but ‘Charkha in the middle was replaced by Chakra’ (wheel) and hence our National Flag came into being. The Indian flag can only be made up of Khadi.

• The National Flag of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on the July 22, 1947.

• The National Flag of India is horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (‘kesari’) at the top, white the in the middle and dark green at the bottomin equal proportion. Ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3.

• In the centre of the white bank is a navy blue wheel which represents the Chakra.
• Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashok (Dharma Chakra). Its diameter approximates to the width of the white bank. It has 24 spokes.

• Saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and renunciation. White stands for truth and purity. Truth in words and actions, and purity in thoughts. Green is the symbol of life, abundance and prosperity. Chakra is the symbol of progress and of movement.

• January 26, 2002: Fifty-four years after the tiranga (our Indian flag as it is popularly known) was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the national flag, the citizens were free to hoist the. Indian flag
• The Indian national flag was hoisted on Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world, on May 29 1953.
• In 1971, the Indian flag, went into space on board Apollo-15. It flew into space as a medallion on Thpacesuit worn by Cosmonaut Wing Command Rakesh Sharma
• The Flag Code of India, 2002, takes effect from 26 January 2002 and supersedes the ‘Flag Code— India as it existed.

• Apart from non-statutory instruction issued by the Govt. from time to time, display of the National Flag is governed by the provisions of the flag code of India, 2002, there shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of general public, private oganisations. educational institutions, etc, except to the extent provided in the emblems and names (Preventions of Improper use) Act 1950 and the prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971 and any other law enacted on the Subject.

State Emblem

• The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion.

• In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus.

• Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).
• The state emblem was adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950.
• The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.
• The emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.

• Emperor Ashoka the Great erected the capital atop an Ashoka Pillar to mark the spot where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharrna and where the Buddhist Sangha was founded. In the original there are four Asiatic lions, standing back to back, mounted on a circular abacus with a friezecarrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening Dharmachakra or Ashoka Chakrawheels over a bell-shaped lotus. It was carved out of a single block of polished sandstone.

• The four lions (one hidden fromview) - symbolising powers 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 rest on a lotus in fall bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration

• The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India, and appears on all Indian currency as well. The wheel “Ashoka Chakra” from its base has been placed onto the center of the National Flag of India National Anthem

• The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindrariath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24 Jariuaru 1950.
• It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.

• The song ‘jana gana mana’ was first published in January 1912, under the title Bharat Vidhata in the Tatua Bodhmi Patnka edited by Tagore himself The song was translated into English by Tagore in 1919, under the title ‘Morning Song of India’.

• The complete song consists of five stanzas.
• The playing time of the full version of the National Anthemis approximately 52 seconds. The playing time of the short version consisting of first and last lines of the stanza is approximately 20 seconds.

• India and Bangladesh adopted two songs written by the first Asian Nobel prizewinner and noted Bengali poet/author Rabindranath Tagore as their national anthems, Jana Gana Mana and Amar  Shonar Bangla, respectively. This is a very rare occasion where one person is the author of the National anthems of two different countries, if not unique.

• The poemwas composed in December 1911, precisely at the time of the Coronation Durbar of George V and is considered by some to be a paean in praise of the overlord of India destiny. The composition was first sung during a convention of the then loyalist Indian National Congress in Calcutta on Dec. 16, 1911.
• In 2005, there were calls to delete the word “Sindh” and substitute it with the word Kashmir. The argument was that Sindh was no longer a part f India, having become part of Pakistan as a result of the Partition of 1947. The Supreme Court of India refused to tamper with the national anthem and the wording remains unchanged.

National Song

• The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatrji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom.
• Vande Mataram is a poem in the novel by Anandamatha by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay. It is written in a mixture of Bengoli and Sanskrit. ft is a hymn to the goddess Durga, identified as the national personification of Bengal. It came to be considered the “National Anthem of Bengal, and it played a part in the Indian independence movement, first sung in a political context ‘ by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. In 1950 its first’ two verses were given the official status of ‘national song” of the Republic of India, distinct from lnatiia1 anthem of India Jana Gana-Mana.
• A commonly cited Eng1isiangUage translation of the poem, Mother, I bow to thee!, is due to Sri Aurobindo (1909).
• The concept of Vande Mataram came to Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay when he was still a government official under the British Raj, around 1876.
• It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950, along with the National-An themIt has an equal status with .jana gana mana’.
• It is widely believed that the tune set for All India Radio station version was composed by Ravi Shankar.

National Calendar

• The national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 from 22 March 1957 alonwith the Gregorian calendar.
• Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year.
• The calendar was introduced by the Calendar Reform Committee in 1957, as part of the Indian Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, which also contained other astronomical data, as well a timings and formulae for preparing Hindu religious calendars, in an attempt to harmonise this practice.  Despite this effort, Local variations based on older sources such as the Surya Siddhanta may still exist.
• Usage officially started at Chaitra 1, 1879 Saka Era, or March 22, 1957.
• Rashtriya Panchang: The Reform Committee also formalised a religious calendar, referred to as the Rashtriya Panchang. This, like many regional calendars, defines a lunisolar calendar based on the authoritative version of the Surya Siddhanta from the 10th century.
• The National Calendar is issued for the following official purposes:

1. Gazette of India
2. News broadcast by All India Radio
3. Calendars issued by the Government of India, and
4. Government communications addressed to the public.
5. In leap year chaitra has 31 days and starts on March 21.

National Animal

• The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris, a striped animal is the national animal of India, it has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes.
• Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• It is also the national animal of Bangladesh.
• To check the dwindling population of tigers in India, which came down to just 1,827 in 1972,massive conservation program was initiated in April 1973 known as the 'Project Tiger’ This project aims to maintain a viable popu1ationöf tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values.
• Lion was the national animal of India till 1972. Later on, it was replaced by tiger.

National Bird

• Peacock (Pavo cristatus),which is a symbol of grace, joy, beauty and love is the national bird of India. Peacock occupies a respectable position in Indian culture and is protected not only by religious sentiments but also by parliamentary statute.
• In India the peacock is found in almost all parts and enjoys full protection under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

National Flower

• Lotus, botanically known as the Nelumbo Nucifera Gaertn is the national flower of India.
• The Lotus Flower symbolizes divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and enlightenment.
• Apart from India, Lotus is also the national of Vietnam.
• In Egypt the Lotus Flowers are considered to auspicious because they are regarded as the symbol of Sun God.

National Tree

• The Banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) is the National Tree of India.

• The largest such tree now found in Kolkata in India. One of the most famous of banyan trees was planted on the island of Kabirvad in Gujarat. Records show that the Kabirvad tree is more than 300 years old.

• Also in Hindu culture, the banyan tree is also called kalpavriksha meaning wish fulfilling divine tree. In modern parlance in the Hindi language, it is known as Bargad, Vatavriksh, and Barh.
• Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment in Bodhgaya in India while meditating under a banyan tree of the species Sacred Figure. The tree is known as Bodhi Tree.

National Fruit

• Mango (Manigifera Indica) is the National Fruit of India.Mango is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D.

National River of India

• Ganga a National River.
• November 4, 2008 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared Ganga as National River
• February 20, 2009: The Central government set up the NationalGanga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)

National Game

• Hockey is the National Game of India.
• The Golden Era of hockey in India was the period from 1928 - 1956 when India won 6 consecutive gold medals in the Olympics.

National Aquatic Animal

To save dolphins (Planista gangetica) from extinction, the Union government has declared them as the national aquatic animal on October 5, 2009. The dolphins found in the Ganga are a rare species.

Lalit Kala Akademi

• To promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country, the Government of India established Lalit Kala Akademi (National Akademi of Arts) at New Delhi in 1954.
• Every three years, the Akademi also organises Triennial India, an International exhibition of contemporary art in New Delhi.

• The Akademi has regional centres çalled Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendras at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai Chennai New Delhi and Bhuj with workshop facilities in painting sculpture, print-making and ceramics.

• The Akademi also brings out bi-annual art journals, Lalit Kala Contemporary (English), Lalit Kala Ancient (English) and Samicaleen Kala (Hindi).

Music

• Two main schools of classical music-Hindustani and Carnatic continue to survive through oral tradition being passed on by teachers to disciples. This has led to the existence of family traditions called gharanas and sampradayas.

• Hindustani music: Hindustani music is an Indian classical music tradition that goes back to Vedic times (around 1000 BC), and further developed circa the 13th and 14th centuries AD with Persian influences and from existing re1igious and folk music. The practice of singing based on “notes was popular even from the Vedic times where the hymns in Sama Veda, a sacred text, was sung as Samagana and not chanted. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition (originating from the South), Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals. Besides pure classical, there are also several semi-classical forms such as thumri and tappa.

• Carnatic music: The present form of Carnatic music is based on historical developments that can be traced to the 15th - 16th centuries AD and thereafter. Fromthe ancient Sanskrit works available, and the epigraphical evidence, the history of classical musical traditions can be traced back about 2500 years. Carnatic music is completely melodic, with improvised variations. The main emphasis is on vocal music;most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they aremeant to be performed in a singing style (known as gayaki). Like Hindustani music, Carnatic music rests on two main elements: raga, the modes ormelodic formul, and tala, the rhythmic cycles.

• Purandara Dasa is credited with having founded today's Carnatic Music. Purandara Dasa was the first composer who started commenting on the daily life of the people in compositions.

Folk Music

• The Bauls: The Bengal were an order of musicians in 18th, 19th and early 20th century India who played a form of music using a khamak, ektara and dotara. The word Baul comes from Sanskrit batul meaning divinely.

• Bhangra: Bhangra is a lively formofmusic and dance that originated in the Punjab region to celebrate Vaisakhi the festival of the Sikhs.

• Bhavageete: Bhavageete is a form of expressionist poetry and light music. It is a popular genre in the states of Maharashtra (marathi language) and Karnataka (kannada language).

• Dandiya: Dandiya is a form of dance-oriented folk music that has also been adapted for pop music.  The present musical style is derived from the traditional musical accompaniment to the folk dance.
  It is practised in (mainly) the state of Gujarat.

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