Independence Day of India: Independence Day of India is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday commemorating the nation’s independence from the United Kingdom on 15th August 1947. India will be celebrating its 77th Independence Day or 76th years Independence Day of India on August 15, 2023.
The Independence Day of India, which is celebrated religiously throughout the Country on the 15th of August every year, holds tremendous ground in the list of national days, since it reminds every Indian about the dawn of a new beginning, the beginning of an era of deliverance from the clutches of British colonialism of more than 200 years.
It was on 15th August 1947 that India was declared independent from British colonialism, and the reins of control were handed over to the leaders of the Country. India’s gaining of independence was a tryst with destiny, as the struggle for freedom was a long and tiresome one, witnessing the sacrifices of many freedom fighters, who laid down their lives on the line.
In addition to the Independence Day speech by the honorable President of India and the Prime Minister, Soldiers & Policemen with outstanding deeds of bravery are conferred with Gallantry Awards & Police Medals on Independence Day.
Independence Day Of India
Independence Day of India coincided with the partition of India, in which British India was divided along religious lines into the Dominions of India and Pakistan; the partition was accompanied by violent riots and mass casualties, and the displacement of nearly 15 million people due to religious violence. On 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi. On each subsequent Independence Day, the incumbent Prime Minister customarily raises the flag and gives an address to the nation.
Indian independence Day 2023
India will be celebrating its 77th Independence Day or 76th year of independence on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
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 of Red Fort in Delhi. 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 Indian independence movement. The Indian national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana”, is sung. The speech is followed by a march past of divisions of the Indian Armed Forces and paramilitary forces. Parades and pageants showcase scenes from the independence 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.
Until 1973, the Governor of the State hoisted the National Flag at the State capital. In February 1974, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi took up the issue with then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that the Chief Ministers, like the Prime Minister, should be allowed to hoist the national flag on the Independence Day of India. Since 1974, Chief Ministers of the respective states have been allowed to hoist the national flag on Independence Day.
Independence Day of India marks the end of British rule in 1947, brought about by the Indian Independence Act of July 18 that year, and the establishment of a free and independent Indian nation. It also marks the anniversary of the partition of the subcontinent into two countries, India and Pakistan, which occurred at midnight on August 14–15, 1947. (In Pakistan, Independence Day is celebrated on August 14.)
When counting years, many of you probably don’t know whether it will be 76 or 77, right? Let’s understand the logic behind this long debate.
After 190 years of a long battle, India get freedom from the British government and their cruel rules on 15th August 1947. And India’s first independence celebration was held on August 15, 1948. So, logically, this year marks the 76th anniversary of Freedom Day.
On the other hand, if we calculate the year of independence exactly from 15 August 1947. This means that the year 1947 is printed as the first year of Indian independence. And this is why 2023 is celebrated as the 76th Independence Day. In this respect, both arguments are valid, but with majority approval, India will celebrate 77 years of independence in 2023.
In 1757, the East India Company defeated the last Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey, which marked the beginning of British rule in India. The Indian Rebellion or First War of Independence took place in 1857, a major but unsuccessful revolt against British rule.
In 1885, India’s first political party, the Indian National Congress, was founded. And after World War I ended in 1918, Indian activists called for self-rule or “Swaraj”.
In 1929, the Indian Parliament proclaimed ‘Purna Swaraj’ or the independence of India at a meeting in Lahore. Finally, after a series of sessions and meetings between the British government and the Indian Parliament, Lord Mountbatten, who had been the last viceroy of India before independence, accepted the proposal.
On 15 August 1947, Lord Mountbatten divided British India into two newly independent states; India and Pakistan. This marks India’s first Independence Day in 1947.
Some Must Known Important Facts on
Independence Day of India
India was under British rule from 1858 to 1947, prior to which the East Indian Company controlled India from 1757 to 1857.
The first struggle for independence occurred in 1857, famously called the Sepoy Mutiny or the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Several freedom fighters took part in the Indian Independence Movement and fought for the freedom of the country and finally ousted the British to free the nation on August 15, 1947.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech on the eve of independence day. In which he said, “Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and now that time comes when we shall redeem our pledge. At the stroke of today’s midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”
In reality, though, that was the moment when India and Pakistan acquired dominion status. While India remained a dominion till 1950, Pakistan retained the status till 1956.
In simpler words, dominions were autonomous communities within the British Empire that were “equal in status” but had an “allegiance to the Crown”.
What it meant was that King George VI continued to reign as the Emperor of India and Lord Mountbatten was the first Governor-General of the country.
Nehru was sworn in as the premier but served on the command of the British Governor-General, and unelected Indian nationalist leaders were administered oaths in the name of the British King-Emperor.
What it also meant was that a British field marshall led the Indian army and judges appointed by the British continued to be part of the high courts and the federal court.
The Indian national flag with 3 horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green was hoisted on August 7, 1906, at Parsee Bagan Square, Kolkata.
The first variant of our current national flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya in 1921.
India’s first national flag is said to have been designed by Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda, in 1904.
Free India’s Parliament presented its first flag by famous Gandhian Hansa Mehta on behalf of all the women of India.
Although the Indian Independence Act was approved on July 18, 1947, Lord Mountbatten chose August 15 as the date of India’s independence as it coincided with the date of Japan’s surrender to the Allied Forces after World War II on August 15, 1945.
Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day on August 14 so that the last British Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten could attend the ceremony. Mountbatten, as the last Viceroy of undivided India was required to grace the Independence Day ceremonies in both countries.
The national song ‘Vande Mataram’ composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was indeed part of his novel Anandamath written and published in 1882.
This song was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896.
It was translated in prose by Shri Aurobindo in Karmayogin on 20 November 1909.
Vande Mataram was adopted as the national song on January 24, 1950.
At the time of independence, India did not have an official national anthem.
The song ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’ composed in 1911 by Rabindranath Tagore was renamed as ‘Jan Gan Man’ and adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on January 24, 1950.
Rabindranath Tagore not just penned the National Anthem of India but also our neighbouring country Bangladesh.
‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905. The first 10 lines of this song were adopted as the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1971, during its liberation war.
Sri Lankan national anthem – ‘Sri Lanka Matha’ words and music were deeply influenced by Tagore. The most widely held view is that Sri Lankan composer Ananda Samarakoon wrote the music and lyrics to the song inspired or influenced by Gurudev.
Until 1973, the Governors of the respective states unfurled the national flag on independence day.
The Chief Ministers of the respective states commenced unfurling the Indian flag only in 1974.
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, played a major role in initiating this tradition. He wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, highlighting the different practices followed in Delhi. This suggestion was accepted by the Central government.
Apart from India, 5 other countries celebrate Independence Day on 15th August. These include North Korea, South Korea, the Republic of Congo, Bahrain, and Liechtenstein.
The Indian flag is manufactured and supplied from only one place in the country.
The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), located in Dharwad, Karnataka, has the authority to manufacture and supply the Indian flag.
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national flag is manufactured only with hand-spun and handwoven cotton khadi bunting.
On 26th January 2002, the Indian flag code was modified and after several years of independence, the citizens of India were finally allowed to hoist the Indian flag over their homes, offices, and factories on any day and not just National days as was the case earlier.
Earlier as per the Flag Code of India, a private citizen was not permitted to fly the Indian flag except on certain days. Naveen Jindal challenged this. On 23rd January 2004, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of Naveen Jindal and held that flying the national flag was the symbol of expression that came within the right to freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Again the Flag Code of India 2002 was revised by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2022 to permit the flying of the national flag even at night as the federal government begins its Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. The flag could previously only be flown between sunrise and dusk.
The current flag with saffron, white and green stripes with the 24-spoke Ashok Chakra was officially adopted on July 22, 1947, and hoisted on August 15, 1947.
The top band of saffron colour represents the strength and courage of the country, the middle band of white colour with Dharma Chakra indicates peace and truth while the last band of green colour shows fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land.
Why National Flag is hoisted at Red Fort?
- It represents the symbol of anti-colonial resistance.
- It was the center of India’s First War of Independence that is the 1857 revolt and INA trials.
- Subhas Chandra Bose, the Netaji of INA gave a famous call Chalo Dilli (March to Delhi) which was linked to the idea of the recapture of the Fort.
National Flag Of India
The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of India saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and India green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel with 24 equally spaced spokes which represents the Ashoka Chakra.
The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947.
National Bird Of India
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck.
The male of the species is more colorful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the tail. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.
National Anthem Of India
The song Jana gana mana, composed originally in Bangla by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950.
Jana Gana Mana
Jana Gana Mana
Adhinayaka Jay He
Bharata Bhagya Vidhata
Panjab Sindhu Gujarat Maratha
Dravida Utkala Banga
Vindhya Himachal Yamuna Ganga
Uchchala Jaladhi Taranga
Tava Subha Name Jaage
Tave Subha Aashish Mange
Gaahe Tava Jay Gaatha
Jana Gana Mangal Daayak Jay He
Bharat Bhagya Vidhata
Jay he Jay he Jay he
Jay Jay Jay Jay He
State EMBLEM
The State Emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Asoka at Sarnath. In the original, there are four lions, mounted back to back, on a circular abacus, which itself rests on a bell-shaped lotus. The frieze of the abacus has sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening Dharma Chakras.
The profile of the Lion Capital showing three lions mounted on the abacus with a Dharma Chakra in the centre, a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left was adopted as the State Emblem of India on January 26, 1950. The bell-shaped lotus was omitted. The motto Satyameva Jayate, which means ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, written in Devanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital is part of the State Emblem of India
National Calender
The national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes:
- Gazette of India.
- News broadcast by All India Radio.
- Calendars issued by the Government of India.
- Government communications addressed to the public.
Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year.
National Animal Of India
The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
To check the dwindling population of tigers in India, ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km.
National Song Of India
The Vande Mataram song, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana.
Vande Mataram Song
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Sujlaam sufaam malyaj sheetlam
Shasya shyamlam mataram vande
Sujlaam sufaam malyaj sheetlam
Shasya shyamlam mataram vande
Vande mataram, vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Shubh jyotsana pulkit yaamini
Phulla kusumita drumadal shobhini
Shubh jyotsana pulkit yaamini
Phulla kusumita drumadul shobhini
Suhasini sumadhur bhashini
Sukhdam vardam mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
Saptkoti kunth kal kal ninaad karle
Nisaptkoti bhujairdhut khar karwale
Saptkoti kunth kal kal ninaad karle
Nisaptkoti bhujairdhut khar karwale
Ke bole maa tumhi bole
Bahubal dhaarini namaami taarini
Ripudal vaarini mataram
Vande mataram, vande mataram
National Currency Of India
The symbol of Indian Rupee typifies India’s international identity for money transactions and economic strength. The Indian Rupee sign is an allegory of Indian ethos. The symbol is an amalgam of Devanagari “Ra” and the Roman Capital “R” with two parallel horizontal stripes running at the top representing the national flag and also the “equal to” sign. The Indian Rupee sign was adopted by the Government of India on 15th July, 2010.
The symbol, conceptualized and designed by Udaya Kumar, a post graduate in Design from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, has been chosen from thousands of concept entries received by the Ministry of Finance through an open competition among resident Indian nationals. The process of establishing and implementing this new identity is underway through various digital technology and computer applications.
Indian States and Union Territories
India, a union of states, is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government. The President is the constitutional head of Executive of the Union. In the states, the Governor, as the representative of the President, is the head of Executive. The system of government in states closely resembles that of the Union. There are 28 states and 8 Union territories in the country. Union Territories are administered by the President through an Administrator appointed by him/her. From the largest to the smallest, each State/UT of India has a unique demography, history and culture, dress, festivals, language etc.
Indian States and Capitals
- Haryana(Chandigarh)
- Himachal Pradesh(Shimla)
- Jharkhand(Ranchi)
- Karnataka(Bangalore)
- Kerala(Thiruvananthapuram)
- Madhya Pradesh(Bhopal)
- Maharashtra(Mumbai)
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Manipur(Imphal)
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Meghalaya(Shillong)
- Mizoram(Aizawl)
- Nagaland(Kohima)
- Odisha(Bhubaneshwar)
- Punjab(Chandigarh)
- Rajasthan(Jaipur)