60-second revision
- National Flag adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947; ratio 2:3; Ashoka Chakra with 24 spokes.
- State Emblem (from Ashoka's Lion Capital at Sarnath) adopted on 26 January 1950; motto from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- Jana Gana Mana adopted on 24 January 1950; full version takes about 52 seconds.
- National Calendar (Saka era) used officially from 22 March 1957; first month Chaitra.
- Ganges river dolphin chosen as National Aquatic Animal in 2009; elephant is the National Heritage Animal (2010).
- 28 Feb National Science Day (Raman Effect); 11 May National Technology Day (Pokhran-II).
- 25 Jan National Voters' Day (ECI founded 1950); 26 Nov Constitution Day.
- 21 Feb International Mother Language Day; 21 June International Day of Yoga.
The National Flag
The Constituent Assembly adopted the tricolour on 22 July 1947. It has three equal horizontal bands — saffron on top, white in the middle, green at the bottom — with a navy-blue Ashoka Chakra of 24 spokes on the white band. The ratio of width to length is 2:3. The design is based on a flag by Pingali Venkayya. Its display is governed by the Flag Code of India, 2002.
State Emblem, anthem, song and calendar
| Symbol | Key facts |
|---|---|
| State Emblem | Adapted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath; adopted 26 January 1950. Four lions (three visible), with a wheel, bull and horse on the abacus. Motto 'Satyameva Jayate' from the Mundaka Upanishad, in Devanagari. |
| National Anthem | 'Jana Gana Mana' by Rabindranath Tagore; adopted 24 January 1950. First sung at the Calcutta session of the INC on 27 December 1911. Full version about 52 seconds. |
| National Song | 'Vande Mataram' by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, from the novel Anandamath (1882). Equal status with the anthem. First sung at the 1896 INC session. |
| National Calendar | Saka era calendar, recommended by the Calendar Reform Committee under Meghnad Saha; in official use from 22 March 1957 (1 Chaitra 1879 Saka). 365 days in a normal year (366 in a leap year); Chaitra is the first month. |
| Rupee symbol | Designed by D. Udaya Kumar; adopted in 2010. It blends Devanagari 'ra' with the Roman 'R'. |
National flora and fauna
| Symbol | Choice | Note |
|---|---|---|
| National Animal | Tiger | Replaced the lion in 1973, the year Project Tiger began |
| National Bird | Indian peafowl | Declared in 1963 |
| National Aquatic Animal | Ganges river dolphin | Decided in 2009; nearly blind, hunts by echolocation |
| National Heritage Animal | Elephant | Declared in 2010 |
| National River | Ganga | Declared in 2008 |
| National Tree / Fruit / Flower | Banyan / Mango / Lotus | As listed on the government's Know India portal |
National days to know
| Date | Day | Why that date |
|---|---|---|
| 12 January | National Youth Day | Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary |
| 23 January | Parakram Diwas | Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary |
| 25 January | National Voters' Day | Election Commission founded in 1950; observed since 2011 |
| 30 January | Martyrs' Day | Mahatma Gandhi assassinated, 1948 |
| 28 February | National Science Day | C.V. Raman announced the Raman Effect, 1928 |
| 11 May | National Technology Day | Pokhran-II nuclear tests, 1998 |
| 29 June | National Statistics Day | P.C. Mahalanobis's birth anniversary |
| 29 August | National Sports Day | Major Dhyan Chand's birth anniversary |
| 5 September | Teachers' Day | S. Radhakrishnan's birth anniversary |
| 15 September | Engineers' Day | M. Visvesvaraya's birth anniversary |
| 31 October | National Unity Day | Sardar Patel's birth anniversary |
| 11 November | National Education Day | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birth anniversary |
| 14 November | Children's Day | Jawaharlal Nehru's birth anniversary |
| 26 November | Constitution Day | Constitution adopted, 1949; observed since 2015 |
| 22 December | National Mathematics Day | Srinivasa Ramanujan's birth anniversary |
International days to know
| Date | Day |
|---|---|
| 21 February | International Mother Language Day (UNESCO; recalls the 1952 Bengali language movement) |
| 8 March | International Women's Day |
| 22 March | World Water Day |
| 7 April | World Health Day (WHO founded 1948) |
| 22 April | Earth Day |
| 5 June | World Environment Day |
| 21 June | International Day of Yoga (since 2015, on India's proposal) |
| 11 July | World Population Day |
| 8 September | International Literacy Day |
| 16 September | International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer |
| 2 October | International Day of Non-Violence (Gandhi Jayanti) |
| 24 October | United Nations Day |
| 10 December | Human Rights Day |
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