INDIA – What an Indian should definitely know...

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India is a big versatile country in which a big population related to different religions, languages and faith exist together. All the people believe in their own God, have different faith and speak about 120 languages that are officially registered but the original number is about 780. The population of India is about 1.237 billion which is distributed across the whole area of about 3,287,590 km², has a diversity which represents the multiple cultures and heritage that our country has. The rich historical background which includes the great emperors who ruled the land, fought great wars to keep the people united under one kingdom, brought in cultures from almost all over the world are the some of the contributing factors responsible for the development of the large number of cultures and faith in our country. Though India has varied population belonging to Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains and various others they all our united to the fact that they all our Indians. There are some problems that certainly crop up between them but when there is a need to support each other they leave no effort to do so. A good example can be considered when Indian Cricket or Hockey team is competing with any other international team. Above all when any natural calamity occurs or when the nation needs its citizens to fight for it then there is no Hindu, no Muslim all our Indians who are united by the patriotic feeling. The war of Kargil or the Attacks of 26/11 in Mumbai or the Tsunami are few examples when counted. Since, India is such a diversified country that the Government which is ruling it should also be diverse in nature and that’s why India is the largest democracy of the world. Democracy is the type of government which is elected by the people and in India people are given full privileges to elect their own representative of the government. The government thus elected works in accordance with the Constitution appointed by the great leaders after Independence. The Constitution has laid down certain rules, some fundamental rights, some national symbols and various other key points which should be kept in check by the government so that it provides the citizen all the rights and facilities that they are obliged for. The basic fundamental rights offered by the constitution are: ? Right to equality: which includes the right of equality before law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment, abolition of untouchability and abolition of titles. ? Right to freedom: which includes right for speech and expression, assembly, association or union or cooperatives, movement, residence, and right to practice any profession or occupation, right to life and liberty, protection in respect to conviction in offences and protection against arrest and detention in certain cases. ? Right against exploitation, prohibiting all forms of forced labour, child labour and traffic in human beings; ? Right to freedom of religion, including freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, freedom to manage religious affairs, freedom from certain taxes and freedom from religious instructions in certain educational institutes. ? Cultural and Educational rights preserving Right of any section of citizens to conserve their culture, language or script, and right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. ? Right to constitutional remedies for enforcement of Fundamental Rights. ? Right to education which includes the right to free and compulsory primarily education to all. The constitution also stays that of any of these rights are be given to a citizen except for the fact that it causes harm to the society then that citizen can go to the court of law with the complaint. Thus, Indian Constitution has provided its full-fledged support to each and every citizen of any caste, faith or religion. The Indian Government has also taken various steps and made laws and policies for the support of all the sections of the society. Though these policies are not being implemented at the grass root level because of the disease of corruption but government is run by the people and for the people so somewhere we are responsible of letting this disease grow. Corruption is something that has grown up to the DNA of our working system of the Government but then if we only start to say no in both giving and taking then only this disease would at least stop growing and can be thrown out if feasible steps are taken by the government. Government is trying to stop this disease and we should also help it so that the working gets smooth and steady. Next comes the various national symbols that are recognized by the constitution and most of us are not aware of them. These symbols are the National Identity Elements which help in representing India at the International Level. Hence, listing the various national symbols: 1. National Flag: • The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (sharia) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra. • The top saffron colour, indicates the strength and courage of the country. The white middle band indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra. The green shows the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land. • Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947. 2. National Anthem: • The National Anthem of India Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Kolkata Session of the Indian National Congress. • The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem. • Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions. 3. National Song: • The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. On January 24, 1950, the President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad came up with a statement in the Constituent Assembly, "the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it." • The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The song was a part of Bankimchandra's most famous novel Anand Math (1882). 4. State Emblem • The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. 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). 5. National Bird • The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the National Bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the tail. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight. 6. National Animal • The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. 7. National Flower • Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. • India is rich in flora. Currently available data place India in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, 47,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). From the above examples and points it is quite clear that we live in a country rich in culture, in religion and the rights that available to us but we are unaware of them. We should appreciate such richness and help the government to improve the conditions of the country because it’s the people who can be the change. Jai Hind…Jai Bharat…!!!! (info sources : http://india.gov.in/)