Independence Day, observed
annually on 15 August, is a national
holiday in India commemorating the
nation's independence from British
rule on 15 August 1947. India
attained freedom following an
independence movement noted for
largely nonviolent resistance and
civil disobedience led by the Indian
National Congress (INC) [1] .
Independence coincided with the
partition of India, in which the
British Indian Empire was divided
along religious lines into the
Dominions of India and Pakistan ;
the partition was accompanied by
violent riots and mass casualties.
The flagship event in Independence
Day celebrations takes place in
Delhi, where the prime minister
hoists the national flag at the Red
Fort and delivers from its ramparts
a speech. The holiday is observed
throughout India with flag-hoisting
ceremonies, parades and cultural
events. Indians celebrate the day
by displaying the national flag on
their attire, accessories, homes and
vehicles; by listening to patriotic
songs, watching patriotic movies;
and bonding with family and
friends. Books and films feature the
independence and partition in their
narrative. Separatist and militant
organisations have often carried out
terrorist attacks on and around 15
August, and others have declared
strikes and used black flags to
boycott the celebration.
History
Main article: Indian independence
movement
European traders had established
outposts on the Indian
subcontinent by the 17th century.
Through overwhelming military
strength, the British East India
company subdued local kingdoms
and established themselves as the
dominant force by the 18th century.
Following the Rebellion of 1857 , the
Government of India Act 1858 led
the British Crown to assume direct
control of India. In the decades
following, civic society gradually
emerged across India, most notably
the Indian National Congress,
formed in 1885. [2][3] :123 The
period after World War I was
marked by British reforms such as
the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms ,
but it also witnessed the
enactment of the repressive
Rowlatt Act and calls for self-rule
by Indian activists. The discontent
of this period crystallized into
nationwide non-violent movements
of non-cooperation and civil
disobedience, led by Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi. [3] :167
During the 1930s, reform was
gradually legislated by the British;
Congress won victories in the
resulting elections.[3] :195–197 The
next decade was beset with
political turmoil: Indian
participation in World War II, the
Congress's final push for non-
cooperation, and an upsurge of
Muslim nationalism led by the All-
India Muslim League . The
escalating political tension was
capped by Independence in 1947.
The jubilation was tempered by the
bloody partition of the
subcontinent into India and
Pakistan. [3] :203
Independence Day before
independence
At the 1929 Lahore session of the
Indian National Congress, the
Purna Swaraj declaration, or
"Declaration of the Independence
of India" was promulgated, [4] and
26 January was declared as
Independence Day. [4] The
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.[5]
Celebration of such an
Independence Day was envisioned
to stoke nationalistic fervour among
Indian citizens, and to force the
British government to consider
granting independence. [6] :19
The Congress observed 26 January
as the Independence Day between
1930 and 1947.[7][8] The
celebration was marked by
meetings where the attendants
took the "pledge of independence".
[6] :19–20 Jawaharlal Nehru
described in his autobiography that
such meetings were peaceful,
solemn, and "without any speeches
or exhortation". [9] 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". [10] 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.
Immediate background
In 1946, the Labour government in
Britain, its exchequer exhausted by
the recently concluded World War
II , realised that it had neither the
mandate at home, the international
support, nor the reliability of native
forces for continuing to control an
increasingly restless India.[3] :203
[11][12][13] In 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. [14]
The new viceroy, Louis
Mountbatten , advanced the date for
the transfer of power, believing the
continuous contention between the
Congress and the Muslim League
might lead to a collapse of the
interim government.[15] He chose
the second anniversary of Japan's
surrender in World War II, 15
August, as the date of power
transfer. [15] The British
government announced on 3 June
1947 that it had accepted the idea
of partitioning British India into
two states; [14] 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 (10 & 11
Geo 6 c. 30) 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 upon the
respective constituent assemblies
of the new countries.[16] The Act
received royal assent on 18 July
1947.
Partition and independence
Millions of Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu
refugees trekked across the newly
drawn borders in the months
surrounding independence.[18] In
Punjab, where the borders divided
the Sikh regions in halves, massive
bloodshed followed; in Bengal and
Bihar , where Mahatma Gandhi's
presence assuaged communal
tempers, the violence was
mitigated. In all, between 250,000
and 1,000,000 people on both sides
of the new borders died in the
violence. [19] While the entire
nation was celebrating the
Independence Day, Gandhi stayed
in Calcutta in an attempt to stem
the carnage. [20] 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 . At midnight, as India
moved into 15 August 1947,
Jawaharlal Nehru delivered the
Tryst with Destiny speech
proclaiming India's independence.
“ Long years
ago we made
a tryst with
destiny, and
now the time
comes when
we shall
redeem our
pledge, not
wholly or in
full measure,
but very
substantially.
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. It
is fitting that
at this
solemn
moment, we
take the
pledge of
dedication to
the service of
India and her
people and to
the still
larger cause
of humanity.
”
—Tryst with Destiny speech,
Jawaharlal Nehru, 15 August
1947[21]
The Dominion of India became an
independent 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 .[17] :6 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 Calcutta, encouraging
peace between Hindu and Muslim.
[17] :10
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Celebration
Indian flags on a bicycle on
the Independence Day in
Siliguri in West Bengal.
Independence Day, one of the
three national holidays in India
(the other two being the Republic
Day on 26 January and Mahatma
Gandhi's birthday on 2 October), is
observed in all Indian states and
union territories. On the eve of
Independence Day, the President of
India delivers the "Address to the
Nation". On 15 August, the prime
minister hoists the Indian flag on
the ramparts of the historical site
Red Fort in Delhi. Twenty-one gun
shots are fired in honour of the
solemn occasion. [22] In his speech,
the prime minister highlights the
past year's achievements, raises
important issues and calls for
further development. He pays
tribute to the leaders of the
freedom struggle . The Indian
national anthem, " Jana Gana
Mana " is sung. The speech is
followed by march past of divisions
of the Indian Army and paramilitary
forces. Parades and pageants
showcase scenes from the freedom
struggle and India's diverse cultural
traditions. Similar events take place
in state capitals where the Chief
Ministers of individual states unfurl
the national flag, followed by
parades and pageants. [23][24]
A child holding the Indian
national flag.
Flag hoisting ceremonies and
cultural programmes take place in
governmental and non-
governmental institutions
throughout the country. [25] Schools
and colleges conduct flag hoisting
ceremonies and cultural events.
Major government buildings are
often adorned with strings of
lights. [26] In Delhi and some other
cities, kite flying adds to the
occasion. [22][27] National flags of
different sizes are used abundantly
to symbolise allegiance to the
country. [28] Citizens adorn their
clothing, wristbands, cars,
household accessories with replicas
of the tri-colour. [28] Over a period
of time, the celebration has
changed emphasis from nationalism
to a broader celebration of all
things India. [29][30]
The Indian diaspora celebrates
Independence Day around the world
with parades and pageants,
particularly in regions with higher
concentrations of Indian
immigrants. [31] In some locations,
such as New York and other US
cities, 15 August has become "India
Day" among the diaspora and the
local populace. Pageants celebrate
"India Day" either on 15 August or
an adjoining weekend day. [32]
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Security threats
As early as three years after
independence, the Naga National
Council called for a boycott of
Independence Day in the northeast.
[33] Separatist protests in this
region intensified in the 1980s;
calls for boycotts and terrorist
attacks by insurgent organisations
such as the United Liberation Front
of Assam and the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland,
marred celebrations. [34] With
increasing insurgency in Jammu and
Kashmir from the late 1980s, [35]
separatist protesters boycotted
Independence Day there with
bandh (strikes), use of black flags
and by flag burning.[36][37][38]
terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-
Taiba , the Hizbul Mujahideen and
the Jaish-e-Mohammed have issued
threats, and have carried out
attacks around Independence Day.
[39] Boycotting of the celebration
has also been advocated by
insurgent Maoist rebel
organisations. [40][41]
In anticipation of terrorist attacks,
particularly from militants, security
measures are intensified, especially
in major cities such as Delhi and
Mumbai and in troubled states such
as Jammu and Kashmir. [42][43] The
airspace around the Red Fort is
declared a no-fly zone to prevent
aerial attacks[44] and additional
police forces are deployed in other
cities. [45]
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In popular culture
On Independence Day and Republic
Day, patriotic songs in Hindi and
regional languages are broadcast
on television and radio channels.
[46] They are also played alongside
flag hoisting ceremonies. [46]
Patriotic films are broadcast.[25]
Over the decades, according to The
Times of India, the number of such
films broadcast has decreased as
channels report that audiences are
oversaturated with patriotic films.
[47] The population cohort that
belong to the Generation Next
often combine nationalism with
popular culture during the
celebrations. This mixture is
exemplified by outfits and savouries
dyed with the tricolour and
designer garments that represent
India's various cultural traditions.
[29][48] Retail stores offer
Independence Day sales
promotions. [49][50] Some news
reports have decried the
commercialism. [49][51][52]
Indian Postal Service publishes
commemorative stamps depicting
independence movement leaders,
nationalistic themes and defence-
related themes on 15 August. [53]
Independence and partition
inspired literary and other artistic
creations in many languages. [54]
Such creations mostly describe the
human cost of partition, limiting
the holiday to a small part of their
narrative. [55][56] Salman Rushdie 's
novel Midnight's Children (1980),
which won the Booker Prize and the
Booker of Bookers , wove its
narrative around children born at
midnight of 14–15 August 1947
with magical abilities. [56] Freedom
at Midnight (1975) is a non-fiction
work by Larry Collins and Dominique
Lapierre that chronicled the events
surrounding the first Independence
Day celebrations in 1947. Few films
center on the moment of
independence, [57][58][59] instead
highlighting the circumstances of
partition and its aftermath. [57][60]
[61] On the Internet, Google has
commemorated Independence Day
since 2003 with a special doodle on
its Indian homepage.
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