A country uses special symbols that show the uniqueness of its culture and heritage. These are national symbols. The main ones are the National Flag and the National Emblem; India also has a National Anthem, National Song, National Animal, Bird and Flower. They help build patriotism and a feeling of oneness.

• The flag is a symbol of freedom, patriotism, unity and loyalty. Our hearts swell with pride when it is hoisted.
• It is a tricolour: saffron on top, white in the middle, green at the bottom, in equal bands. In the white band is a blue wheel with 24 spokes; its diameter equals the width of the white band.
• It is rectangular with ratio 3 : 2, made of hand-woven cotton or silk with hand-spun thread.
• Meaning: saffron = selflessness and sacrifice; white = truth, peace and purity; green = the green earth and prosperity in agriculture and industry. The wheel is copied from the Ashoka pillar at Sarnath; the Ashoka Chakra means Dharmachakra and stands for continuous movement and progress.

• The flag should not be dirty or torn.
• Saffron should always be on top.
• No other flag should be higher than the National Flag.
• Raise it to the top of the pole, then unfurl it.
• Hoist it after sunrise and bring it down before sunset; keep it folded.
• Fly it at half-mast during national mourning.
• Hold it in the right hand while walking.
• It must not touch the ground.
• Plastic flags should not be used.

• National Anthem: ‘Jana Gana Mana’, written by Rabindranath Tagore in Bengali in 1911. On 24 January 1950 the Constituent Assembly accepted one of its five stanzas as the National Anthem. It takes 52 seconds; the short version (first and last lines) takes about 20 seconds. We must stand upright and sing it with correct pronunciation; disrespecting or disturbing it is punishable.
• National Song: ‘Vande Mataram’, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in his novel ‘Anandamath’. It gets the same respect as the Anthem; freedom fighters sang it till their last breath.
• National Emblem: based on the Lion Capital of Ashoka’s pillar at Sarnath. The original has four lions back to back on a round pedestal with wheels (Dharmachakra) and figures of an elephant, a bull, a horse and a lion. Only three lions are seen in the picture. Adopted on 26 January 1950. Below is written ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs) from the Mundaka Upanishad, in Devanagari script.

Tiger is our national animal, Peacock our national bird and Lotus our national flower.

Launched on 22 March 1957 so that the whole nation has one almanac; scientist Meghnad Saha played a vital role. It uses the Shaka era, which began 78 years after the Common Era. The first month is Chaitra; the year starts on 22 March (21 March in a leap year). The Government uses both the National Almanac and the Christian (Gregorian) calendar.

• Republic Day (26 January): our Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950. Awards are given; the President hoists the flag and a grand parade is held in New Delhi, with programmes in all state capitals.
• Independence Day (15 August): the Prime Minister hoists the flag at the Red Fort, Delhi, and addresses the nation.
• Gandhi Jayanti (2 October): birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who gave new strength to the freedom movement; the UN calls it the International Day of Non-Violence. It is also Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birthday.
• Ambedkar Jayanti (14 April): Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was chairman of the Constitution’s Drafting Committee. He believed political freedom without social freedom is meaningless, fought caste discrimination (Mahad and Kalaram movements) and attended the three Round Table Conferences.
• Teachers’ Day (5 September): birthday of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the second President, a great teacher and philosopher who worked at Mysore University.
• Children’s Day (14 November): birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, a nature lover who liked the red rose. He joined the freedom struggle through the Home Rule Movement, presided over the Lahore session (1929), and is called the architect of modern India: Panchasheel, non-alignment and five-year plans.
• National Youth Day (12 January): birthday of Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), who inspired youth, fought superstition, founded the Ramakrishna Mission and said, “Let the poor, the ignorant, the illiterate and the sick be your God. Know that serving them is the greatest religion.”
• Karnataka Rajyotsava (1 November): on 1 November 1956 Kannada areas of Bombay, Madras, Hyderabad and Kodagu were joined with Mysore to form Mysore State. On 1 November 1973, Chief Minister Devaraj Urs renamed it Karnataka.