71st Independence day: 8 little-known facts about India's I-Day

1. During Independence, India didn't have National Anthem. Though Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Jana Gana Mana' in Bengali on December 11, 1911, the Hindi version was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950.

2. August 15 is celebrated as Independence Day in not only India but also in five other countries - Bahrain, North Korea, South Korea, Liechtenstein and Republic of Congo.

3. The Last Viceroy and first Governor General of India - Louis Mountbatten - declared August 15 as the date for our country's Independence as it was the same day in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces at the end of World War II.

4. Though India gained its Independence on 15 August 1947, Goa was still being controlled by the Portuguese. It was on December 19, 1961 that Goa was finally annexed to India.

5. The only material to be used for making our flag is 'khadi'. Flag made of any other material is punishable under law with three years imprisonment and a fine.

6.  Freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya designed the first version of the national flag at Bezawada (now Vijayawada) city in Andhra Pradesh in 1921.

7. First version of the national flag had two colours - saffron (more reddish) and green.

8. When India got its freedom, there were as many as 562 princely states. While 560 states joined India, Junagadh and Hyderabad were annexed by the military.