Independence Day 2021: Google Honours India’s Diverse Culture with Unique Doodle to Mark 75th Independence Day

Today’s Google Doodle, illustrated by Kolkata, India-based guest artist Sayan Mukherjee, celebrates India’s Independence Day and its cultural traditions forged in centuries of historical progress.  

Independence Day 2021: Google on Sunday marked India’s 75th Independence Day by dedicating a unique doodle illustrating the country’s rich and diverse culture that permeates and unites the nation. The astounding doodle artwork illustrates India’s diverse dance forms. From the classical tradition of Bharatnatyam depicted on the far left to the oldest Indian dance style with origins stretching back 3000 years in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Depicted on the far right, the masked reenactments from Indian epics known as Chhau dance have origins in the eastern state of Jharkhand, the Purulia Chau, and the Seraikella Chau regions.

At the stroke of midnight on this day in 1947, India’s decades-long movement for independence culminated as the nation became a sovereign republic. Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Kolkata, India-based guest artist Sayan Mukherjee, celebrates India’s Independence Day and its cultural traditions forged in centuries of historical progress.

Speaking about the doodle artwork, Mukherjee said, “ As an Indian, Independence Day has always been a meaningful day for each and every Indian. I remember the flag hoisting ceremony from school, it always felt very special and a sense of pride to see the national flag flying.”

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, he 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.