INDIA NATIONAL INSIGNIA

INDIA's NATIONAL FLAG

The Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The late Prime Minister Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people.

The flag is a horizontal tricolour in equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.

INDIA's NATIONAL EMBLEM

The National Emblem of India is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected in the third century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe. The National emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India's reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill.

The four lions (one hidden from view) - symbolizing power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals - guardians of the four directions: the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'truth alone triumphs'.

National Anthem of India

Composed by Rabindranath Tagore, the song Jana Gana Mana was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly adopted the song as the National Anthem of India.The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza comprises the full version of the National Anthem.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

INDIA's NATIONAL BIRD

Male bird of species P. cristatus, is a native of India, with striking plumage and upper tail converts marked with iridescent ocelli, able to expand its tail erect like fan as ostentatious display. Peacocks are related to pheasants.
Found wild in India (and also domesticated in villages) they live in jungle lands near water. They were once bred for food but now hunting of peacocks is banned in India. The peahen has no plumage. These birds do not sound as beautiful as they look - they have a harsh call.

INDIA's NATIONAL ANIMAL
Large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped, Panthera Tigris, maneless, of tawny yellow colour with blackish transverse stripes and white belly, proverbial for its power and its magnificence.

There are very few tigers left in the world today. A decade ago the tiger population in India had dwindled to a few hundreds. The Government of India, under its Project Tiger programme, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India's population of tigers has considerably increased.

INDIA's NATIONAL FLOWER

The Lotus or water lily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grow only in shallow waters. The leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces. The big attractive flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern. The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out horizontally through the mud below the water. Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the surface of a pond. In India the sacred lotus is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it.

INDIA's NATIONAL FRUIT

A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D. In India there are over100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes, have been cultivated in India from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, known as Lakhi Bagh.

Just Married.. Aishwarya and Abhishek

The Wedding of India's top actor Abhishek Bachchan with former beauty queen and current top actress Aishwarya Rai took place at Bachchan's family home according to the Hindu Rituals with the blessing of Hindu Gods, Hindu priests, Bride's parents, Groom's parents, Relatives and Friends. Only a select few like Ajay Devgan, Kajol, Sanjay Dutt, Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty, Sonali Bendre from Bollywood were invited.
The event was a private one, although there were thousands of fans turned at the venue to Greet the Newly married couple.

The three day event which started on 18th of April 2007 with the Sangeet night.It was really a Bollywood traditional one with both the Rais and Bachchans as well as their relatives and friends putting up dance performances. As for the highlight of the Sangeet night a dance performance was put up by both Ash-Abhi and another dance performance was done by Amitabh Bachchan -Jaya Bachchan. The day was a memorable one for those participated with the Bride and Bridegroom. All the guest were treated with Mumbai's best Cuisine.

The 19th of April 2007 was Mehendi day, which was held at Aishwarya Rai's home.
As for the Indian tradition, mehendi or henna is given to the bride by the groom’s family to apply in ways of beautiful tattoos on her hands and feet. This ceremony is used to take place at the bride’s residence before the wedding. The Mehendi ceremony at Aishwarya Rai's residence was a private one with only close relatives from the bride’s family. Abhishek’s sister Shweta, actress Sonali and some members of the Bachchan family arrived in a bus for the Mehendi ceremony in the evening. The mehendi was specially brought from Sojat which is in Rajasthan. The ceremony nearly lasted for 3 hours. Aishwarya wore a red and gold sari specially designed by Nita Lulla.

The wedding day was 20th April 2007. On that day of the wedding, the baraat left from "Jalsa" to move towards the venue of the wedding, "Prateeksha" at 4 pm. Jalsa and Prateeksha both are Bachchan's Bungalows. The guests were taken by the special bus. On the way Abhishek Bachchan got off from the bus and climbed on a beautifully decorated white horse. Abhishek Bachchan was wearing a clear white outfit filled with beautiful hand work. His face was covered with the traditional style of flowers. Abhishek was weaving hand to the bystanders on the way to Prateeksha with traditional wedding band and dancers. Abhi’s sister Shweta was also seen gyrating with the baraatis while father Amitabh Bachchan was supervising the entire event.

The baraatis reached the venue and the mahurat for the wedding which was 5.30 pm on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya, which is a best day to have Hindu Weddings. The wedding ceremony began behind the close doors With high security measures both in and around the house. There were more than 400 security personal on duty. Heavy traffic was experienced as the baraat was en route; fans were running and pushing for a glimpse of stars. Media people with line of cameras too were capturing all the possible actions. The Aishwarya-wedding.com team too gives our Cheers to the newly married couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya rai. Long Live your Love marriage with all the Love, Luck and Prosperity..

Aishwarya-Abhishek Wedding

Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, seated on horse, his face covered with ornaments, a Northern Indian Hindu tradition, waves as his wedding procession makes its way from “Jalsa,” a residence of the Bachchan’s to “Prateeksha, ” another residence of the family, in Mumbai, India, Friday, April 20, 2007. Police stepped up security as fans danced in the streets to celebrate Friday’s wedding of two of Bollywood’s hottest stars, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, son of the Indian cinema legend Amitabh Bachchan, left near horse wearing orange turban with moustache.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, his face covered in traditional Indian-style by a sheath of white flowers, arrives for his wedding ceremony at the family residence in Mumbai, India, Friday, April 20, 2007. Police stepped up security as fans danced in the streets to celebrate Friday’s wedding of two of Bollywood’s hottest stars, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, son of the Indian cinema legend Amitabh Bachchan

Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan, right, and Aishwarya Rai, left, arrive in a car after getting married early Saturday, April 21, 2007, in Mumbai, India. Rai and Bachchan, both well-known Indian actors, were married in a private ceremony Friday.

INDIA...a land for all seasons

The subcontinent of India lies in south Asia, between Pakistan, China and Nepal. To the north it is bordered by the world's highest mountain chain, where foothill valleys cover the northernmost of the country's 26 states. Further south, plateaus, tropical rain forests and sandy deserts are bordered by palm fringed beaches .

Side by side with the country's staggering topographical variations is its cultural diversity, the result of the coexistence of a number of religions as well as local tradition. Thus, the towering temples of south India, easily identifiable by their ornately sculptured surface, are associated with a great many crafts and performing arts of the region.

In the desert of Kutch, Gujarat, on the other hand, a scattering of villages pit themselves against the awesome forces of nature, resulting in Spartan lifestyles made vibrant by a profusion of jewelry and ornamental embroidery used to adorn apparel and household linen. In the extreme north is the high altitude desert of Ladakh. Local culture is visibly shaped by the faith - Buddhism -as well as by the harsh terrain. Yet another facet of Indian culture is observed in the colorful tribal lifestyles of the north eastern states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur with their folk culture.

In the central Indian states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh tribal village life has resulted in a variety of artistically executed handicrafts.

India's mountains provide heli skiing, river running, mountaineering and trekking. Its beaches provide lazy sun-bathing as well as wind surfing and snorkeling, and its jungles provide shooting wildlife -with a camera.

India's history goes back to 3,200 BC when Hinduism was first founded. Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism. Judaism. Zoroashtrianism, Christianity and Islam all exist within the country today. As a consequence of India's size, the history of the country has seldom been the same for two adjoining territories, and its great natural wealth has lured a succession of traders and foreign influences to it, each having left their imprint in the country, however faint or localized. Thus, Chinese fishing nets in Kerala are a throwback to that country's ancient maritime trade, while in the north, terra-cotta figurines of the centuries BC bear distinctly Greek traces.

Modern India is home alike to the tribal with his anachronistic lifestyle and to the sophisticated urban jetsetter. It is a land where temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for the world's largest democracy where atomic energy is generated and industrial development has brought the country within the world's top ten nations. Today, fishermen along the country's coastline fashion simple fishing boats in a centuries old tradition while, a few miles away. motor vehicles glide off conveyor belts in state-of-the-art factories