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August 15- Independence Day
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…India discovers herself again."
- Jawaharlal Nehru
(on Indian Independence Day, 1947)
The above statement from the first Prime Minister of India duly sums the feelings. Independence Day is perhaps the most important day in Indian history. It took us more than 200 years of hard-fought struggle to break free from the clutches of the British Empire. India attained its freedom on 15th August, 1947. But the freedom did not come easily. We not only had to witness sacrifice of millions of freedom fighters but also the division of the country. The country had to start from scratch but there definitely can’t be a bigger exhilaration than acquiring freedom. It was a fabulous day in our history when India became a sovereign nation. The day marked the triumph of hundreds and thousands of martyred souls.
15th August 1947 marked the birth of a new nation and a new beginning. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India unfurled the Indian tricolor flag on the Red Fort. Our hearts swelled with pride and the nation started its new journey. But before that, under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, India and Pakistan were established as independent dominions. The division was on the basis of religions with predominantly Hindu areas allocated to India and similar arrangement was made for Pakistan.
Post independence, India had to deal with subcontinent's 562 widely scattered polities, or princely states and British provinces. It was not an easy task to create a united India but thanks to the herculean efforts made by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, everything was done in quick time. Today, India is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. The nation has traveled a long way but now, we stand as equals in the world.
Independence Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country. It is a moment of pride for every Indian. The day reminds us of the struggles we had to endure for our freedom. The country salutes all the freedom fighters and vows to fulfill the hopes and expectations of its freedom fighters.
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