Independence Day (India)
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| Independence Day | |
 The Indian national flag and emblem atop the Vidhan Soudha building in Bangalore, Karnataka |
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| Also called | स्वतंत्रता दिवस (Hindi) |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Indians |
| Type | National |
| Date | August 15 |
| Celebrations | Flag hoisting, distribution of sweets in schools, flying kites, singing patriotic songs, entertainment and cultural programmes, march past, speech, etc. |
India's Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in attendance. The main event takes place in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. The Prime Minister also pays his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle. A colourful pageant showcasing India’s cultural diversity, symbolic depictions of the country’s advances in science and technology, and a joint display of India’s military capabilities by the armed forces are an essential part of the Independence Day celebrations.
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[edit] Road to independence
On 3 June 1947, Viscount Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General of India, announced the partitioning of the British Indian Empire into India and Pakistan, under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act 1947. At the stroke of midnight, on 14 August 1947, India became an independent nation. This was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous speech titled Tryst with Destiny.
| “ | At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again. | ” |
[edit] Administration until 1950
Upon independence, India was given dominion status by the British. At Prime Minister Nehru and his deputy Sardar Vallabhai Patel's request, Lord Mountbatten continued to be the Governor General of India. The Governor General was the equivalent of the current Indian President. Mountbatten continued in office until June 1949. Thereafter Chakravarti Rajagopalachari took over as Governor General and held office until 1950. During these years (until 1950), King George VI continued as the King of India.
Patel took on the responsibility of unifying 565 princely states, steering the effort with his “iron fist in a velvet glove” policies, exemplified by the use of military force to integrate Junagadh and Hyderabad state into India. Jammu & Kashmir became a part of India when Pakistan laid siege and Maharaja Hari Singh signed an "Instrument of Accession" with India to keep his state separate from Pakistan, despite it having a Muslim majority population. Pakistan responded by sending in its armed forces in an attempt to counter the Indian influence and an armed conflict ensued. The First Kashmir War later ended with a United Nations-mediated ceasefire. Indian military forces remain in Kashmir, which has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan for more than 60 years.
The Constituent Assembly completed the work of drafting the Constitution of India on 26 November 1949; on 26 January 1950 the Republic of India was officially proclaimed. The Constituent Assembly elected Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India, taking over from Governor General Rajgopalachari. Subsequently, a free and sovereign India absorbed two other territories: Goa (liberated from Portuguese control in 1961) and Pondicherry (which the French ceded in 1954). In 1952, India held its first general elections, with a voter turnout exceeding 62 percent; in practice, this made India the world's largest democratic country in the history of the modern and ancient world.
[edit] Celebrations
15th August is a national holiday in India. Government Offices are lit up. Flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programs take place in all the state capitals. In the cities around the country the national flag is hoisted by politicians in their respective constituencies. In various private organisations the flag hoisting is carried out by a senior official of that organisation. Schools and colleges around the country organise flag hoisting ceremonies and various cultural events within their premises, where younger children in costume do impersonations of their favourite characters of the Independence era. Families and friends get together for lunch or dinner, or for an outing. Housing colonies, cultural centres, clubs and societies hold entertainment programmes and competitions, usually based on the Independence Day theme. Most national and regional television channels screen old and new film classis with patriotic themes on Independence Day.
