Independence Day 2020: Know About The National Flag, National Anthem
On August 15, 2020, India will celebrate its 74th Independence Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the national flag at Red Fort and will address the nation. The current form of the Indian national flag came into existence after a series of developments and modifications. Also known as the Tricolor or Tiranga, the flag was an integral part of the Indian freedom movement and has a reach history.
The national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was also an important ally of the freedom fighters. Originally composed in Bengali by Ravindranath Tagore, the national anthem represents the unity of a diverse India.
Here are some interesting facts about the Indian national flag and the national anthem that students can use in their independence day speech, essay, or class quiz.
The National Flag of India is a horizontal, rectangular Tricolor of saffron, white and green with the Ashoka Chakra in the middle. It is also known as Tiranga.
However, the first version of Indian National Flag hoisted on August 7, 1906, had stripes of green, yellow, and red. It had religious symbols, eight roses, and Vande Mataram inscribed in it. The second version of the Indian flag was hoisted by Madam Bhikaji Cama at the Socialist International Summit in Stuttgart, Germany. A third version, with red and green stripes with the Union Jack -- the national flag of the United Kingdom -- on the top left and a crescent on the top right and seven stars in form of the Saptrishi constellation was used by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1917.
Another two versions of the Indian flag was designed in 1921. The first had a white strip at the top representing the religious minorities, green strip in the middle representing Muslims, and red strip at the bottom representing Hindus. In the center of the flag was a Spinning Wheel. This flag was according to the vision of Mahatma Gandhi. Another version of the flag, which was adopted by the Congress committee, had saffron color at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the middle of the white strip was a Spinning Wheel.
On August 15, 1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, hoisted the national flag at the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi.
For the first time, the Indian National flag will be hoisted at Times Square, New York, on August 15, 2020.
The National Anthem of India, Jana Gana Mana was originally composed in Bengali as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata. It was first publicly sung on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
Apart from the national anthem of India, Rabindranath Tagore also wrote Amar Sonar Bangla, the national anthem of Bangladesh.
Subhas Chandra Bose, during the meeting of the German-Indian Society on September 11, 1942, first used the term “National Anthem” for Jana Gana Mana. Before officially becoming the national anthem of India in 1950, Jana Gana Mana was used in the 1945 film Hamrahi.