Incredible India
Our vibrant country
Say what the bands of the National Flag and the National Emblem stand for, explain why Republic Day falls on 26 January, and read the signs of India's diversity in its languages, headgear and music.
It is 26 January. The class gathers round the flagpole in lines, the folded flag tied at the top. The head teacher pulls the rope, the tricolour unfurls to drums and clapping, and the National Anthem is sung together. Their teacher explains why this date and no other: India became independent on 15 August 1947, and on 26 January 1950 the country decided to follow its special book of rules — the Constitution. A country needs rules to run smoothly and to keep people safe and happy, and Republic Day marks the day India took up its own.
Reading the tricolour
Saffron at the top stands for strength and courage. The white band in the middle stands for peace and truth. The blue Ashoka Chakra at its centre represents duty — dharma. Green at the bottom stands for growth and prosperity.
What a currency note is hiding
Hold a note up to the light and a second, smaller image of Gandhi ji appears beside the printed one. Look for the tiny round spectacles too: they are the symbol of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Clean India Mission, drawn from Gandhi ji's own spectacles. Some notes also carry raised prints so that a person with a visual impairment can identify them by touch.
A garden and a forest
A garden holds fewer kinds of plant and needs constant watering and care. A forest holds many kinds of plant, tree, animal, bird and insect, and its living things keep it going without anyone tending it. The chapter uses that difference to say something about a country: diversity is what makes it stronger and more self-sufficient.
Have a play
The National Flag on its pole, with the name of each part of it.
Tap any part of the picture.
Worked example
Priya asks: if we were already free on 15 August 1947, what was left to celebrate on 26 January?
Take her question seriously first. In 1947 the country stopped being ruled from outside and could take its own decisions.
That is a real change and it has its own day — Independence Day. The second date is not a repeat of it.
Try it together
Work out what the tiny round spectacles printed on a currency note are doing there.
Take a note and look near the edge. Beside the numbers there is a small drawing of a pair of round spectacles.
1.Whose spectacles are they? Look at the portrait on the same note.
Have a go
Have a go on your own. The smallest of the currency notes carries a monument on it: the Sun temple of Konark. Which state is that temple in?
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.