Also called Swatantrata Divas (Hindi)
Observed by Indians
Type National
Date August 15
Celebrations
Flag hoisting, distribution of sweets in schools, flying kites, singing patriotic songs, entertainment and cultural programmes
India’s Independence Day (Hindi: Swatantrata Divas) is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. It is celebrated all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony and distribution of sweets. The main celebration takes place in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister raises the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of the government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. Prime minister also pays tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle.
Contents
History
Road to independence
Main articles: History of Independent India, Political Integration of India, and Partition of India
Jawaharlal Nehru being sworn in as India’s first Prime Minister by Lord Mountbatten on August 15, 1947
Jawaharlal Nehru being sworn in as India’s first Prime Minister by Lord Mountbatten on August 15, 1947
Jawaharlal Nehru’s tryst with destiny speech
Jawaharlal Nehru’s tryst with destiny speech
On 3 June 1947, Viscount Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General of India, announced the partitioning of the British Indian Empire into India and Pakistan, under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act 1947. At stroke of midnight, on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation. This was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous speech titled Tryst with destiny. “ 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