I'm sure
you're enjoying the long weekend with our 70th Independence Day being
celebrated on Monday. In honour of our great nation, here are some amazing
facts about our Independence Day.
Other
countries that celebrate their Independence on 15th August include South
Korea (from Japan) in 1945, Bahrain (from UK) in 1971 & Republic Of
Congo (from France) in 1960.
The
national flag was hoisted first on August 7, 1906 at the Parsee Bagan Square
in Calcutta. The flag was composed of horizontal strips of red, yellow and
green. The red strip at the top had eight white lotuses embossed on it in a
row. The green strip had a white sun on the left and a white crescent and star
on the right.
The current
flag has three colours in it. The top strip saffron stands for courage and
sacrifice; the middle portion white for peace, truth and purity and green
for faith, fertility and chivalry. The blue Ashok Chakra at the centre of the
flag stands for righteousness.
On August
15, 1947, when India became free from the foreign rule, Mahatma Gandhi was in
Calcutta. Gandhiji spent his day in prayers, fasting and spinning - protesting
the madness of communal hatred.
The first
cabinet of India took oath on August 15th, 1947. It consisted of 13 ministers belonging to 5 different religions and also included 1 woman cabinet minister,
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (She was assigned the Ministry of Health).
When India
became independent on August 15, 1947 there was no National Anthem. Even
though the Bengali invocation of Jana Gana Mana was written in 1911, it was not
considered as the national anthem till 1950.
The Border
between India and Pakistan was drawn by a British Lawyer named Sir Cyril
Radcliffe.
Every
year, independence day celebrations are officially carried out at the Red
Fort, Delhi - a tradition that is believed to be followed since August 15th
1947.
The first
Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had the privilege of hoisting the
national flag & addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort 17
times.
After
gaining Independence in 1947, India became a dominion: a constitutional
monarchy with King George VI as its head of state. The monarchy was abolished
on 26th January 1950, when India became a Republic.
Though
many believe Hindi is India’s national language, India has no national
language. According to article 343 of the Constitution of India, Hindi is the official
language of India.
In 1947,
the exchange rate was 1 rupee to 1 US dollar.
Very few
are aware of the fact that khadi or hand-spun cloth is the only material allowed to be used for making the national Indian flag.
The Khadi
and Village Industries Commission has certified the Karnataka Khadi
Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha based in Hubli as the sole manufacturer and
supplier of the Indian flag to the entire country.
Hope you
found these facts informative & interesting.
As we
gear up to celebrate our independence day, I have 1 small request - if you are
displaying the Indian flag, please do look after it after 15th August as well.
Our national flag will always be a reflection of our pride, honour & love
for the country, irrespective of whether it is Independence Day, Republic Day
or just another day. Let's treat it with respect everyday.
Jai Hind!