Independence Day: Google honours India's diverse culture with creative doodle

To commemorate India's 74th Independence Day on August 15, 2021, Google has displayed a new doodle on its search page. The Google homepage doodle was created to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the country. The beautiful artwork was created by Kolkata-based guest illustrationist Sayan Mukherjee. Sayan wanted to celebrate the diverse culture and traditions, illustrated through the dance forms, to mark the 74th milestone for the country. To him, the idea was to signify the country's "cultural traditions forged in centuries of historical progress." Take a look at the tweet to check out more illustrations submitted for the day:

The Google Doodle celebrates culture and traditions from all over India

The colourful doodle depicts India’s diverse traditional dance forms.  Beginning with the classical tradition of Bharatnatyam to the folk dance of Chauu. From the far left, a girl is seen performing a mudra from Bharatnatyam. It is the oldest Indian dance style, which originated some 3,000 years ago from Tamil Nadu. The next illustration is of the famous folk dance Bihu from the northeastern state or Assam. The traditional white and red saree with garland on her head is unmissable.

Third from the left is the man performing Bhangra, the traditional dance of Punjab. It is the folk dance of the Northwestern states of Punjab and Chandigarh. It originated from Sialkot in the Majha area of Punjab. Next is the depiction of the semi-classical dance Chau from West Bengal's Purulia district and parts of Jharkhand and Odisha. Chau or Chaauu is a dance mixed with martial art which often tells mythological stories. The second last from right is an illustration of a woman presenting Garba, the traditional dance of Gujarat. Lastly, the dance form depicted is Kathakali from the Malayalam-speaking southeastern state of Kerala.

"Happy Independence Day, India!"

Marking the 74th Independence Day, Google India began its statement with the first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru's Independence Day speech. "At the stroke of midnight on this day in 1947, India's decade-long movement for independence culminated as the nation became a sovereign republic," Google said.

Further elaborating on the rich cultural heritage of the country, Google added, "Home to over an estimated 1.3 billion people, India is inhabited by one-sixth of the total global population and is characterized by the thousands of distinct languages and ethnic groups within its borders. Indians across the subcontinent’s 29 states celebrate their freedom and multicultural spirit with customs such as traditional dance performances, which vary depending on regional culture.

"I have used different Indian dance forms to show the diversity of the country and coming together seamlessly on a stage performing. That shows the unity among each other being different. It is the unity of India which is holding us all together strong," Sayan Mukherjee

Lastly, explaining the significance of the doodle, Google said, "Today's doodle illustrated by Kolkata, India-based guest artist Sayan Mukherjee, celebrate India's Independence Day and its cultural traditions forged in centuries of historical progress." Meanwhile, illustrator Sayan also explained his perspective that inspired him to plan the Doodle. "When I was approached to work on the Doodle, I started thinking about India's rich heritage, culture, tradition, and so on. Since India is such a vast country with such a diverse population there is only one thing that holds all of us together and that is our unity in diversity. I tried to capture that from the Doodle," Sayan said. Sayan based the Doodle on Indian traditional dance forms, their posture, and attire.

With inputs from @GoogleIndia/Twitter

Image: @GoogleIndia/Twitter