“Forget not that the grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong. Remember the eternal law: you must give if you want to get.”
— Subhash Chandra Bose
India gained independence from British rule on August 15, 1947. As India freed herself from the clutches of the British empire, the whole country roared in happiness, marking the reign of an independent and free land, away from the terror rule of the 200-year British rule.
Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a national holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the 1947 Indian Independence Act, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to a full republic, when the nation adopted the Constitution of India on 26 January 1950 (celebrated as Indian Republic Day) and replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India, with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the Independence Movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.
Indian Independence Day History
In 1757, British rule began in India which was followed by the victory of the English East India Company at the Battle of Plassey and gained control over the country. East India Company took control in India for almost 100 years and then the British crown replaced it via Indian Mutiny in 1857-58. During World War I, the Indian Independence movement was started and it was led by Mahatma Gandhi who advocated the method of nonviolent, non-cooperation movement which was followed by the Civil Disobedience movement.
In 1946, the Labour Government, the exchequer of Britain thought of ending their rule over India because of their capital loss during World War II. Then, the British Government in early 1947 announced to transfer all powers to the Indians by June 1948. But the violence between Hindu and Muslims was not decreased basically in Punjab and Bengal. In fact, in June 1947 several leaders like Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Abul Kalam Azad, B.R. Ambedkar, etc. agreed to the partition of India. Millions of people from different religious groups started finding places to reside. And due to this approx 250,000 to 500,000 people died. On 15 August, 1947 at midnight India got independence and was concluded by the Jawahar Lal Nehru speech "Tryst with Destiny".
Independence Day 2021 Theme
The theme of India's 75th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort is 'Nation First, Always First'. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on 15th August, 2021. Special invitations have been sent to the Olympians who won medals at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This year's event will also be restricted for the public like 2020 and no cultural performance will be staged by children.
Significance of India's Independence Day
This day is a remembrance and dedication to all those people who gave their lives, mind, body, and soul to free India. Countless lives were lost and many were tortured but with immense determination and faith, Indian rose as a free country. On this day, India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of Red Fort in Delhi on August 15, 1947. To this day, every year the Prime Minister hoists the flag and commemorates the occasion by a traditional ceremony in Delhi, India’s capital. After the Prime Minister addresses the nation, a military parade is held that is broadcasted all over the country. The President also delivers a speech.
What is the Indian Independence Act 1947?
The British Prime Minister Clement Atlee on 20 February, 1947 declared that the British rule in India would end by 30 June, 1948 after which the powers would be transferred to responsible Indian hands. This announcement was followed by the agitation by the Muslim League and the demand for the partition of the country. Then, on 3 June, 1947, British Government declared that any Constitution framed by the Indian Constituent Assembly which was formed in 1946 cannot apply to those parts of the country which were unwilling to accept it. And so on the same day that is on 3 June, 1947, Lord Mountbatten, the viceroy of India put forth the partition plan which is known as Mountbatten Plan. Congress and the Muslim League accepted the plan. The immediate effect was given to the plan enacting the Indian Independence Act 1947.
Rare facts about India's Independence Day
• The Indian National Flag with three horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green was hoisted on August 7, 1906, at Parsee Bagan Square in Kolkata. The first variant of India's current national flag was designed by freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya in 1921. The current flag with saffron, white and green colours and the Ashok Chakra in the middle was officially adopted on July 22, 1947, and hoisted on August 15, 1947.
• The song ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’ composed in 1911 by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was renamed as ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the national anthem on January 24, 1950.
• Five other countries celebrate their independence on August 15 along with India. They are Bahrain, North Korea, South Korea and Liechtenstein.
• Even after India's independence, Goa was still a Portuguese colony. It was annexed to India by the Indian Army only in 1961. Thus, Goa was the last state to join the Indian territory.
• The Indian flag is manufactured and supplied from only one place in the nation. The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), located in Dharwad in Karnataka, has the authority to manufacture and supply the Indian national flag. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the flag is manufactured only with hand-spun and handwoven cotton khadi wafting.
• Jawaharlal Nehru’s first speech on Independence Day began with, “At the stroke of midnight, when the world sleeps, India shall awake to life and freedom...”
Indian Independence Day Celebrations
Every year the Army, Navy, and Air Force marched across the Red Fort and the school children in colourful dresses in front of the dignitaries and audience give performances.
Prime Minister of India unfurls the flag and holds a speech at the Red Fort. Several cultural programs are held in the state capital Delhi by various schools and organisations but this year due to the ongoing pandemic the celebration will be different. People on Independence Day fly kites which symbolises the free spirit of India. Red Fort in Delhi is also an important symbol as on 15 August, 1947, the first Prime Minister of Independent India Jawahar Lal Nehru unveiled India's flag. Several people attend the flag hoisting ceremony in the city of Delhi which is a beautiful experience to watch. And some people watch patriotic cinemas; watch the Red Fort ceremony in their houses on TV. The whole nation celebrates this day with full enthusiasm and with the spirit of patriotism.
Independence Day in India is celebrated in various ways and with full patriotic feelings. We are proud to be Indian.
Best Quotes on Independence Day
• “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.” – Jawaharlal Nehru
• "Forget not that the grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong. Remember the eternal law: you must give if you want to get." – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
• "Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err." – Mahatma Gandhi
• "If your blood does not rage, then it is water that flows in your veins. For what is the flush of youth, if it is not of service to the motherland?" – Chandra Shekhar Azad
• "One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives." – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
• A country's greatness lies in its undying ideal of love and sacrifice that inspire the mothers of the race." – Sarojini Naidu
• "So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you." – B.R. Ambedkar
• "Give me your blood and I will give you freedom!" – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
• "It is easy to kill individuals, but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled, while the ideas survived." – Bhagat Singh
• "Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil me hai, dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qaatil me hai." – Ramprasad Bismil
• “We have believed, and we do believe now, that freedom is indivisible, that peace is indivisible, that economic prosperity is indivisible.” – Indira Gandhi
"Freedom is the way God intended us; it is something we are born with. Something that no one can take away from you. Let’s celebrate Freedom! Happy Independence Day."
Jai Hind!
Also read : International Youth Day 2021, National Handloom Day 2021, Friendship Day 2021, International Tiger Day 2021, World Nature Conservation Day 2021, Kargil Vijay Diwas 2021, Guru Purnima 2021, National Statistics Day 2021.
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