Proud to be an Indian!

The 61st Republic Day of India

Origin :
The name India is derived from Indus, which is derived from the old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.
India was the richest country before British ruled over us.

It is also one of the most ancient civilizations.

India is the largest democracy in the world.
India is the 2nd fastest growing economy, has the second largest pool of scientists, is the second largest english speaking nation
India is the 3rd most powerful nation in the world.
India is the 4th largest producer of wind energy, and is the fourth largest oilseed producing country
India is the 5th largest tourist genetating market, global retail destination
India is the 6th largest e-commerce hub and service exporter

India is the 7th largest country in the world, and the 7th largest vehicle producing country.
India has the world's 8th largest airport- Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal - T3
India is the 9th largest industrialized economy
India is the world's 10th largest gold holder.

Technology:

Founder and creater of Hotmail  - Sabeer Bhatia
Creator of Pentium chips - Vinod Dahm
President at AT&T Bell Labs - Arun Netravalli
Co-founder of Sun Microsystems - Vinod Khosla

More facts:

Constitution of india also recognizes Bharat as an official name of equal status as India.
India is one of the few countries in the world which gained independence without violence.
Chess was invented in India.
India has the maximum number of postoffices.
India has the largest numner of news channels
Bollywood with about 400 films every year is the largest centre of film production in the world.
Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world.

The early morning mist... people coved in shawls and jackets... all assembling near the Rashtrapathi Bhavan (Sanskrit for Presidential house/Palace) to watch the parade - thats the true essence of Republic Day in India. For the rest of us.. who are not in Delhi (telling myself again.. that next year i'll be in Delhi to watch it!)
Watching the parade on tv while having breakfast..The smartly dressed marching contingents.. hearing my grandfather's stories about war and life in army for the nth time which immediately transports you back to the freedom struggle and Kargil war... and makes you realise who the true Heros of our country are! The kids, the little heros receiving bravery awards for their deeds..The amazing parade showcasing the richness and wealth of each state in India... from environmental forests to science and technology.. from agricultural progress to child education.. you cannot help but feel a stir of emotions in your heart when you see all this... :)

To pen down all the interesting facts and proud achievements of our country would take time... because of the great number of acomplishments that we have... and continue to acomplish!

Make India Proud!