(Very interesting!) Facts about India

The National Flag of India is called the Tiranga, or Tricolour, as it has three colours; saffron, white and green. In the centre is a navy blue wheel, called the Ashoka Chakra. It has 24 spokes, representing the 24 hours in a day.

The main languages spoken in India are Hindi and English, but there are many other official languages as well - Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. There are hundreds of other Indian languages as well! If you look on the back of an India money note, you will see a panel which shows the amount in all the national languages.

Indian money is called rupees. This is the back of a ten rupee note.  Where in the U.K. we have 100 pence in one pound, in India they have 100 paise in one rupee. These are Indian coins.

The National Emblem of India is the Ashoka Pillar, showing the Sarnath Lion.

The National Motto is "Truth Alone Triumphs."
The National Song of India is "Vande Mataram."
The National Anthem of India is called "Jana Gana Mana." The children sing the National Anthem and salute the National Flag after their assembly.

Many children in India say a pledge at school.

The National Animal of India is the Royal Bengal Tiger.

The National Bird of India is the Peacock. They live in the wild in India.

The National Sport of India is Field Hockey. This is a very famous hockey player - Dhanraj Pillai.

The National Fruit of India is the Mango.

The National Flower of India is the Lotus Flower

The capital of India is New Delhi. It is known as  the city of temples. This photo shows  Akshardhan temple, which is very old.

This is a very modern temple, also in New Delhi - the Lotus temple, as it looks like a lotus flower!

The largest city in India is Mumbai (which used to be called Bombay.)

The most popular tourist attraction in India is the Taj Mahal, in Agra. It was built between 1631 and 1654, by the Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, who is better known as Mumtaz Mahal.


India has three national holidays. The 26th January is Republic Day, commemorating the Constitution of India, which came into effect in 1950. The 15th August is Independance Day, celebrating India gaining independance in 1947. 

The 2nd October is celebrated as the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in 1869 and died on January 30, 1948. He was a major political and spiritual leader and the pioneer of Satyagraha - the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, based on 'ahimsa' (total non-violence), which led India to independence. He has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. His full given name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but is best known at Mahatma Gandhi, meaning Great Soul / Father.

Facts!  What does Children United! do that is most helpful? 

1,  We build toilet blocks so that the children can wash their hands both before and after eating (very important if you are going to eat your lunch with your fingers!)  This toilet block was then painted bright pink!  Sorry Blisworth School that they got your name wrong!

2,  We build kitchens so that the children can have a mid-day meal.         

Sorry Isebrook School that they got your name wrong as well!

3,  We feed so many children!  Unsurprisingly, the children need feeding every day and the ones who live in the orphanages and boarding hostels, more than just once a day!  So please collect your 1p's and 2p's for us.  It only costs about 2p to pay for a school dinner. 
How much does your school dinner cost?  How many children in India could that amount feed?

4, We collect stamps to pay for school dinners - you could help us with that!  It doesn't cost any money to do and you could ask your family and friends to help you.  Start today!

Thank you for helping these children!

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