As the first rays of sunlight grace the morning of August 15, 2023, the resplendent and diverse nation of India unfurls its tricolor flag with pride, marking the glorious 77th anniversary of its arduous struggle for freedom from British rule. On this day, people are very excited and happy. The celebration of Independence Day is bigger than any religious festival as it binds together the entire nation just like a string of a garland. It shows that however diverse we may be, but we stand together forgetting all our differences. This feeling towards our country has made us cover a long journey of development and innovation.
Looking Back at the Past on this Independence Day
In the year 1947, on this special day, India stepped out of the control of the colonial power and started a new time of change and deciding things for itself. Every year, we celebrate this day by hoisting our national flag at a famous Red Fort in Delhi. The Prime Minister of our country hoist the flag followed by the national anthem. This event marks the unity and integrity of the nation and conveys the message to remember the people who sacrificed their life for our freedom.
Remembering History
From the First war of Independence in 1857 which brought an end to the companies rule to the mid night on 15th of August,1947 that ended the colonial rule in India was a long struggle.
Each year, on Independence Day, the people of India stop for a moment to think about the strong determination of our ancestors. The leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bal Ganga Dhar Tilak, Jawaharlal Nehru and many more have left behind the stories of their incredible courage, bravery and determination.
Their life which is now present in form of stories is full of challenges which will continue to motivate the present and upcoming generations. These stories have a very good success rate of inspiring the young minds. They teach us the value of teamwork, finding peaceful solutions and persistently working towards fairness.
The Significance of August 15
After years of struggle, the British Parliament eventually sanctioned India’s liberation. Louis Mountbatten, the final British governor-general of India, was entrusted with a pivotal task to transfer power to India by June 30, 1948. However, Mountbatten expedited the process, selecting August 15, 1947, as the date of transfer. His rationale rested on two grounds:
- To avert bloodshed and riots
- To coincide with the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II which he considered as a lucky date.
In the book “Freedom at Midnight”, the authors Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins mentions that Mountbatten explained, “My picking this date was not random. I was responding to a question and wanted to prove I was in control of everything. When they inquired about the date, I felt it had to be close. While I hadn’t pinpointed it precisely, I thought of around August or September. That’s when I settled on August 15. The reason? The significance of this date is that it signifies the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender.”
Glimpse of the Freedom Through News Clips
Unity Amidst Diversity
Quoting the wise words of the American writer, Mark Twain:
“India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”
Speaking of coming together, India is a place where lots of different groups of people live together peacefully. On Independence Day, the whole country gets into the celebration spirit by showing off its different traditions. There are lively dances and displays that highlight just how many different groups of people live in India.
A Fast-Growing Nation
Lately, India has been up to some really amazing things. India is doing great and excelling fields like technology, exploring space, taking care of people’s health and making education better. You would have heard about the programmes like the Digital India campaign and space adventures like Chandrayaan( Do read my Blog on Chandrayaan-3).
These advancements have been the result of all the efforts and visions of our leaders since our country got independence. Some of these are:
- Establishment of first IIT at Kharagpur in 1951.
- AIIMS started in New Delhi in 1956.
- DRDO came into existence in 1958.
- Establishment of first IIM at Calcutta in 1961.
- Foundation of ISRO in 1969.
And there are many more examples. These things have made India the pivot of the global agendas and a role model for all. I feel sad when some self-obsessed leaders try to take away all the credit for the development. We need to adopt the mindset of an intellectual, understanding that no country is built in a day. Even a book is created by consistently adding letters to it.
A Global Leader
India has always been looked upon for the leadership whenever the world faces any deep trouble. Imagine had India not initiate Non-Aligned Movement the world would have been divided among the two powers. These powers of that time were America and USSR. This could have resulted in the next world war. Yet again India has initiated to combat the challenges of the world such as climate change, Global Warming, Terrorism etc. India along with other countries are putting in a lot of work to improve things and become more independent. There’s this neat plan called “Make in India” which is all about creating things right there in India and using clean energy from the sun and wind. The international Solar Alliance is one such initiative. This demonstrates the caring nature of India not only for its own people but for the entire planet.
Miles to go…
As the colorful flag waves gently in the wind, India’s 77th Independence Day reminds us of the country’s journey – from a strong fight for freedom to a happy celebration of togetherness in diversity and impressive progress. This day shows India’s unwavering spirit, not shaken by challenges. As the country moves forward, embracing new ideas and including everyone, let’s promise to make the dream of a successful, peaceful and self-reliant India come true for the next generations.