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Independence Day
The national flag of India hoisted on the Red Fort in Delhi; hoisted flag is a common sight on public and private buildings on this national holiday.
Observed by	India
Type	National holiday
Celebrations	Flag hoisting, parades, singing patriotic songs and the national anthem, speech by the Prime Minister and President
Date	15 August

Independence Day, observed annually on 15 August, is a national holiday in India commemorating its independence from British rule on 15 August 1947. India attained freedom following an indepedence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress. The independence coincided with the partition of India wherein the British Indian Empire was divided along religious lines into two new states—Dominion of India (later Republic of India) and Dominion of Pakistan (later Islamic Republic of Pakistan); the partition was stricken with violent communal riots.

The flagship event in the Independence Day celebrations takes place in Delhi, where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and then delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts. The holiday is observed all over India with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events. Indian citizens celebrate the day by displaying the national flag on their attire, accessories, homes and vehicles, flying kites, listening to patriotic songs, watching patriotic movies, and bonding with family and friends. However, separatist and militant organisations have often carried out terrorist attacks on and around 15 August, and others have declared bandh and used black flags to boycott the celebration. Several books and films feature the independence and partition in their narrative.

History

European traders had established outposts in Indian subcontinent by the 17th century. Through their overwhelming military strength, the British East India company managed to subdue local kingdoms and establish themselves as the dominant colonial force by the 18th century. In 1858, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led the British Crown to assume direct control of India. In the decades following, public life gradually emerged all over India, the most notable example of which was the Indian National Congress, formed in 1885. 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 strident calls for self-rule by Indian activists. The widespread discontent of this period crystallized into nationwide non-violent movements of non-cooperation and civil disobedience, of which Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi would become the leader and enduring symbol.

In the 1929 Lahore session of the Indian National Congress, the Purna Swaraj declaration, or "Declaration of the Independence of India" was promulgated, and 26 January was declared as India's Independence Day. The Congress called on people to take pledge to "prepare for civil disobedience" and "to carry out the Congress instructions issued from time to time" on that day until India attained complete independence from the Great Britain. Celebration of such an Independence Day was planned to stoke nationalistic fervour among the Indian citizens, and to force the British government to consider India's independence on a more serious note.

During the 1930s, legislative reform was gradually enacted by the British; the Congress won victories in the resulting elections. 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 the advent of independence in 1947. The jubilation of independence was, however, tempered by the bloody partition of the subcontinent into two states: India and Pakistan.

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. In February 1947, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Clement Attlee announced that the British government would grant full self-governance to British India by June 1948 at the latest.

The new viceroy, Louis Mountbatten, advanced the date for the transfer of power as he thought the continuous squabble among the Indian leaders might lead to collapse of the interim government. He chose the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, 15 August, as the date of power transfer. The British government announced on 3 June 1947 that the idea of partitioning British India into two states was accepted by it; 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 with effect from 15 August 1947, and granted complete legislative authority upon the respective constituent assemblies of the two new countries. The Act received the royal assent on 18 July 1947.

Partition and independence

Millions of Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu refugees trekked across the newly drawn borders. In Punjab, where the new border lines 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, anywhere between 250,000 and 1,000,000 people on both sides of the new borders died in the violence. While the entire nation was celebrating the Independence Day, Gandhi decided to stay in Calcutta and help mitigate the communal carnage. On 14 August 1947, the Independence Day of Pakistan, the new Dominion of Pakistan came into being; Muhammad Ali Jinnah 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

Dominion of India became an independent country as official ceremonies took place in New Delhi in which Jawaharlal Nehru assumed the office as the first Prime Minister, and the viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, continued as its first Governor General.

Celebration

Between 1930 and 1947, 26 January was observed as the Independence Day of India as it carried symbolic value to the Congress. The celebration of 26 January as the Independence Day was marked by meetings where the attendants took the "pledge of independence". Jawaharlal Nehru described in his autobiography that such meetings were peaceful, solemn, and "without any speeches or exhortation". 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 the actual independence in 1947, the Constitution of India came into effect on and from 26 January 1950; since then 26 January is celebrated as the Republic Day.

Independence Day, one of the three national holidays in India (the other two being the Republic Day on 26 January and Mohandas Gandhi's birthday on 2 October), is observed in all Indian states and union territories. On the eve of the Independence Day, the President of India delivers the "Address to the Nation", which is broadcasted nationally. On 15 August, the Prime Minister of India 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. In his speech, the Prime Minister highlights the achievements of the country during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call 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 the various cultural traditions of India. Similar events take place in state capitals where the Chief Ministers of individual states unfurl the national flag, which is followed by parades and pageants.

Flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programmes take place in governmental and non-governmental institutions in the country. Schools and colleges conduct flag hoisting ceremonies and various cultural events within their premises. Major government buildings are often adorned with strings of light. In some cities, such as Delhi, kite flying is a celebratory event associated with the Independence Day. National flags of different sizes are used abundantly by the rejoicing residents to symbolise their allegiance to the country. Citizens adorn their cloths, wristbands, cars, household accessories with replicas of the tri-colour. Over a period of time, the celebration pattern has changed from a nationalistic one to a more relaxed, festive one, where friends and family bond and make merry.

The Indian diaspora celebrates the Independence Day in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with high concentration of non-resident Indians, with parades and pageants. In some locations, such as New York and other cities in the United States, 15 August has received the nomenclature "India Day" among the diaspora and the local populace. Pageants are held to celebrate "India Day" either on 15 August or a weekend day near 15 August.

Security threats

In anticipation of terrorist attacks, particularly from Islamic militants, security measures in the country are intensified before the Independence Day celebration, especially in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and in troubled states such as Jammu and Kashmir. The aerial space around the Red Fort is declared a no-fly zone during the celebration to prevent aerial attacks, and additional police forces are deployed in other cities. Calls of boycott and terrorist attacks by separatist insurgent organisations like the United Liberation Front of Assam and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland often mar the Independence Day celebrations in Northeast India. Separatist protesters have boycotted the Independence Day in Jammu and Kashmir with bandh (strike), use of black flags and even by burning the Indian national flag. Islamic terrorist outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jaish-e-Mohammed have issued threat of attacks, and have carried out attacks around the Independence Day. Boycotting of the Independence Day celebration has also been called for by insurgent Maoist rebel organisations.

In popular culture

On the Independence Day and the Republic Day, patriotic songs in Hindi and regional languages are broadcast on television and radio channels. They are also played alongside flag hoisting ceremonies. Patriotic films are broadcast on television channels. Over the decades, according to The Times of India, the number of such films broadcast has decreased as channels report that too many patriotic films overwhelm the viewers who want popular entertaining films instead, to enjoy the holiday. The population cohort that belong to the Generation Next often combine nationalism with popular culture during the celebrations. The mixture of popular culture with nationalism is exemplified by outfits and savouries dyed with the tricolour and designer garments that represent the various cultural traditions of India. Retail stores offer discounts on merchandise to promote sales at this time of year. The Times of India has described the commercialisation of patriotism as a negative facet.

Independence and partition have inspired literary and other artistic creations in many languages. Such creations mostly describe the human cost of the partition where the day of independence forms a small part of their narrative. Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children (1980), which won the Booker Prize and the Booker of Bookers, weaved its narrative based on the children born with magical abilities on midnight of 14–15 August 1947. 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. There is a paucity of films related to the independence and partition, and majority of them highlight the circumstances of the partition and the aftermath. On the Internet, Google has been commemorating the Independence Day by revamping the main page of its Indian version with a special doodle since 2003.

References

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61. Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1080/03068374.2010.508231, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi=10.1080/03068374.2010.508231 instead. (subscription required)
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External links

• Indian Independence Day at Government of India website
• Indian Independence Day in Encyclopædia Britannica Blog

• August observances
• Holidays in India
• Indian independence movement
• Observances in India
• National days