#India is now celebrating its 76th #IndependenceDay on August 15 from British rule on August 15, here is its history and significance.
India achieved its Independence from British colonial rule on August 15, 1947. The struggle for freedom was a lengthy and tedious one; witnessing the sacrifices of many freedom fighters, of all castes and religions who laid down their lives for their country and fellow citizens. This day honours our freedom fighters, the history of the nation, culture, and India’s achievements as a whole. It also reminds every Indian citizen about the dawn of a new beginning of an era of deliverance from the clutches of British colonialism for more than 200 years.
Independence Day before Freedom
At the 1929 session of the Indian National Congress, the Purna Swaraj declaration, or “Declaration of the Independence of India” was promulgated, and 26 January was declared Independence Day in 1930 where Congress called on people to pledge themselves to civil disobedience and “to carry out the Congress instructions issued from time to time” until India attained complete independence.
Celebration of such an Independence Day was expected to stoke nationalistic fervour among Indian citizens and to push the British government to consider granting independence.
Jawaharlal Nehru described in his autobiography that such meetings were peaceful, solemn, and “without any speeches or exhortation”. Mahatma Gandhi envisaged that besides the meetings, the day would be spent ” … in doing some constructive work, whether it is spinning, or service of ‘untouchables,’ or reunion of Hindus and Mussalmans, or prohibition work, or even all these together”.
Following actual independence in 1947, the Constitution of India came into effect on and from 26 January 1950; since then 26 January is celebrated as Republic Day.
Britain was Financially Drained and Lord Mountbatten’s Role
As luck would have it, in 1946, the Labour government in Britain, whose treasury was exhausted by the newly finished World War II, admitted that it had neither the mandate at home, the international support nor the dependability of native forces for continuing to keep the rule in a rising restless India. On 20 February 1947, Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that the British government would grant full self-governance to British India by June 1948 at the latest.
The new viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, moved the date for the transfer of power, believing the ongoing conflict between the Congress and the Muslim League might lead to a collapse of the interim government.
Lord Mountbatten picked the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, 15 August, as the date of power transfer. The British government declared on 3 June 1947 that it had accepted the idea of partitioning British India into two states; the successor governments would be given dominion status and would have an implicit right to secede from the British Commonwealth. The Indian Independence Act 1947 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan (including what is now Bangladesh) with effect from 15 August 1947, and granted complete legislative authority to the respective constituent assemblies of the new countries.
The Horror of Partition of India and independence
Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his speech, Tryst with Destiny, on the eve of India’s first independence day.
Millions of Muslim, Sikh and Hindu refugees trekked the newly drawn borders in the months surrounding independence. In Punjab, where the borders divided the Sikh regions into halves, tremendous bloodshed ensued;
While Mahatma Gandhi made great attempts to unite Hindus and Muslims, in Bengal and Bihar, his presence quenched communal tempers, the violence was mitigated. In all, the partition was a horrific event where several hundred thousand and two million lost their lives. People on both sides of the new borders died in the violence. While the entire nation was celebrating Independence Day, Gandhi stayed in Kolkata to stop the massacre.
On 14 August 1947, the Independence Day of Pakistan, the new Dominion of Pakistan came into being; Muhammad Ali Jinnah was sworn in as its first Governor General in Karachi.
The Constituent Assembly of India met for its fifth session at 11 pm on 14 August in the Constitution Hall in New Delhi. The session was chaired by president Rajendra Prasad. In this session, Jawaharlal Nehru delivered the Tryst with Destiny speech proclaiming India’s independence. The members of the Assembly formally took the pledge of being in the service of the country. A group of women, representing the women of India, formally presented the national flag to the assembly.
The Dominion of India became a liberated country as official ceremonies took place in New Delhi. Nehru assumed office as the first prime minister, and the viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, continued as its first governor-general. Mahatma Gandhi’s name was invoked by crowds celebrating the occasion; Gandhi himself however took no part in the official events. Instead, he marked the day with a 24-hour fast, during which he spoke to a crowd in Kolkata, encouraging peace between Hindus and Muslims.
Indian Independence Day Celebrations and Traditions
Independence Day is marked with the hoisting of the tricolour or tiranga, parades, cultural events, and citizens singing patriotic songs. On August 15, 1947, the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of Red Fort in Delhi. It is a tradition that has since been followed by every Prime Minister with an address to the country.
Indian Independence Day is observed as a national holiday throughout India where Indians remember the sacrifices of prominent freedom fighters. The Indian national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”, is sung. The speech is followed by a march past divisions of the Indian Armed Forces and paramilitary forces. Parades and processions showcase scenes from the independence struggle and India’s diverse cultural traditions.
Parallel events take place in state capitals where the Chief Ministers of individual states unfurl the national flag, followed by parades and pageants. Until 1973, the Governor of the State hoisted the National Flag at the State capital. In February 1974, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi took up the issue with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that the Chief Ministers, like the Prime Minister, should be allowed to hoist the national flag on Independence Day. Since 1974, Chief Ministers of the respective states have been allowed to hoist the national flag on Independence Day.
Flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programmes take place in governmental and non-governmental institutions throughout the country as well as in schools and colleges that perform flag hoisting ceremonies and various cultural events.
National flags of different sizes are used abundantly to symbolise allegiance to the country. Citizens decorate their clothing, wristbands, automobiles, and household accessories with replicas of the tri-colour.