Our India: One Flag, a Thousand Flavours
Travel 100 km in our India and the language changes. Travel 300 km and the food on your plate changes. Travel 3,000 km and almost everything feels new.
But one thing never changes: the moment the tricolour rises, we all smile the same smile.
This is our first story on Najikk, and it had to be about us: over 140 crore people, 28 states, 8 union territories and one flag that ties every one of us together like a single rope.
Our plates: one country, a thousand flavours
Close your eyes and travel with your tongue. Can you guess where each plate comes from? Tap each question to reveal the answer.
Steamed, soft, yellow and a little sweet. Where is breakfast this fluffy?
Dhokla, from our Gujarat. Add undhiyu in winter and you have a Gujarati smile on a plate.
A roasted wheat ball stuffed with sattu, served with smoky mashed brinjal. Which state?
Litti chokha, the pride of Bihar.
Lacy rice pancakes with a coconut stew, eaten on a slow Sunday morning?
Appam and stew from Kerala.
A spicy potato fritter in a soft pav, the fuel of a whole city?
Vada pav from Maharashtra.
Steamed dumplings and a hot bowl of noodle soup in the mountains?
Three things on one plate: baked wheat balls, dal and sweet crumbled churma?
Dal baati churma from Rajasthan.
A light, tangy fish curry that cools you down after a hot day?
Masor tenga from Assam.
A layered coconut dessert baked one layer at a time, made at Christmas?
Bebinca from Goa.
How many did you get right? 8 out of 8 means you are a true food explorer of our India. Tell us your score in the comments.
Different spices. Different kitchens. Same love when someone says, “Have you eaten?”
Our languages: say hello in as many as you can
India has 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of our Constitution, and the 2011 Census recorded more than 19,500 mother tongues. Our ₹ notes alone carry 17 languages: Hindi and English, plus 15 more on the language panel.
Read these greetings out loud. How many can you say without looking?
नमस्ते (Hindi) · કેમ છો (Gujarati) · வணக்கம் (Tamil) · নমস্কার (Bengali)
ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ (Punjabi) · నమస్కారం (Telugu) · ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ (Kannada)
നമസ്കാരം (Malayalam) · नमस्कार (Marathi) · Julley (Ladakhi)
Your turn: write “hello” in your mother tongue in the comments. We want to see how many languages one Najikk post can collect.
Our festivals: there is always a celebration somewhere
When Gujarat dances garba for Navratri, Bengal is lighting up pandals for Durga Puja. Kerala welcomes Onam with flower rangoli, Assam celebrates Bihu, Tamil Nadu boils over with joy at Pongal, and Punjab sings at Lohri.
Add Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Gurpurab, Losar and hundreds of local fairs, and you will find that somewhere in our India, someone is celebrating today.
Quick poll in the comments: which festival from another state would you love to celebrate once in your life?
Our flag: the rope that ties us all together
Our tricolour was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947, based on a design by Pingali Venkayya.
Saffron stands for courage and strength. White stands for peace and truth. Green stands for growth and the fertility of our land. In the centre, the navy blue Ashoka Chakra has 24 spokes, a wheel that never stops moving forward.
Think about it. A boy in Kohima and a girl in Kutch may never share a language or a meal. But on 15 August and 26 January, they stand straight for the same flag and sing the same anthem. That is the rope. Many threads, one strength.
हमारा तिरंगा, हमारा भारत.
Our flag. Our India.
A small promise for our flag
After a celebration, please never leave paper flags on the road. The Flag Code of India asks us to dispose of them respectfully and in private. Pick one up if you see it. It takes two seconds and says a lot about us.
Your turn: finish this line
“I am from ______, and my India tastes like ______.”
Write your answer in the comments below. The best answers will be featured in our next Najikk story.
And when you are hungry for something near you, open the Najikk map to find cafes, food spots and fun places close by, or browse guides for Gujarat, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and every other state on Najikk.
Frequently asked questions
How many official languages does India have?
The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution lists 22 languages. Hindi and English are used for official work of the central government, and each state can choose its own official languages.
How many states and union territories are there in India?
28 states and 8 union territories.
Who designed the Indian national flag?
The tricolour adopted on 22 July 1947 is based on a design by Pingali Venkayya.
How many spokes does the Ashoka Chakra have?
24 spokes.
How many languages are printed on Indian currency notes?
17: Hindi and English, plus 15 languages on the language panel.
Najikk (નજીક · नजदीक) means “near”. New stories about the food, culture and places of our India every day.