India's National Insignia

India's National Insignia

National Emblem

The state emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion, capital of Asoka the Emperor as preserved in the Sarnath Museum. The Government adopted the emblem on 26th January,1950, the

day when India became a Republic. In the original of Sarnath Capital, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculpture in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels (chakras) 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).

In the state emblem adopted by the Gov­ernment only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left and the outlines of the other wheels on the extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words, Satyameva Jayate from the Mundaka Upanishad meaning 'Truth alone triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.

The National Flag

The National Flag is a horizontal tri-colour of deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of white band is a wheel, in navy blue. Its design is that of the wheel (Chakra) which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band. It has 24 spokes.

The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22nd July, 1947. Its use and display are regulated by a code.

National Anthem

Rabindranath Tagore's song Jana-gana-mana was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24th Jan. 1950 and gave Vande Mataram-the national song equal honour. It was first sung on 27 Dec. 1911 at the Calcutta session of the INC. The first stanza (out of 5 stanzas) of the song forms the National Anthem. Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A shorter version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza takes 20 seconds to play and it is played only on certain occasions.

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata

Punjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha‑

Dravida-Utkala-Banga

Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga

Uchchhala-Jaladhi-taranga

Tava Subha name jage,

Tava subha asisa mage,

Gahe tava jaya-gatha.

Jana-gana-rnangala-dayaka, jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata

Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,

Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he.

The following is Tagore's English rendering of the stanza:

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,

Dispenser of India's destiny.

Thy name rouses the hearts of the 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 Jamuna

and the Ganges and is chanted by the waves of

the Indian Sea.

They pray for the blessings and sing thy praise. 

The saving of all people waits in thy hand,

Thou dispenser of India's destiny, Victory,

victory, victory to thee.

National Song

The song Vande Mataram composed by Bankimchandra Chatterji has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occa­sion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the INC.

Vande Mataram,

Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam, 

Shasyashyamalarn, Mataram!

Shubhrajyothsna pulakitayaminim, 

Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,

Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, 

Sukadam

varadam, Mataram!

                                                                                           

      

English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo (in Sri Aurobindo Birth Cen­tenaryLibrary Popular Edition 1972,vol. 8), is

I bow to thee, Mother,

richly-watered, richly-fruited,

coot with the winds of the south,

dark with the crops of the harvests,

The Mother!

Her nights rejoicing in the glory of themoonlight,

Her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom, 

sweet of laughter, 

sweet speech,

The Mother, 

giver of boons, 

giver of bliss.

                                                                                            

National Calendar

At the time of independence, the Govt. of India followed the Gregorian calendar based on the Christian era.

The National Government adopted the rec­ommendation of the Calendar Reform Com­mittee that the Saka era be adopted as the basis of the National Calendar. The Saka year has the normal 365 days and begins with Chaitra as its first month. The days of the Saka calen­dar have a permanent correspondence with the dates of the Gregorian Calendar, Chaitra 1 falling on March 22 in a normal year and on March 21 in a Leap Year. The National Calen­dar commenced on Chaitra 1 Saka, 1879 cor­responding to March 22, 1957 A.D.

The months of the National Calendar, with their days and the dates of the Grego-rian Calendar corresponding to the first day of the Saka month are given below:

Calendar

                                          SAKA                                           GREGORIAN

I Chaitra 30/31Days	March 22/21
1 Vaishaka 31	April 21
1 Jyaistha 31	May 22
1 Asadha 31	June 22
1 Sravana 31	July 23
1 Bhadra 31	Aug. 23
1 Asvina 30	Sept. 23
1 Kartika 30	Oct. 23
1 Agrahayana 30	Nov. 22
1 Pausa 30	Dec. 22
1 Magha 30	Jan. 21
1 Phaiguna 30	Feb. 20