India is one of the largest democracies in the world. India celebrates its Independence Day on 15th August. We will try to discuss some very interesting facts about India’s Independence Day in this article. India got freedom from British rule on this day. It was an impossible dream come true that was achieved by walking on a path that was less travelled. The path of nonviolence. We hope that the readers will find this article informative and it will help them get a better idea about India’s Independence.
- The first interesting point is why 15th August was chosen as the day for India’s Independence, It was initially decided that India will be officially declared as a free nation on 18th July 1947 but later on 15th August was chosen by Lord Mountbatten as that was the day when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces during the second world war.
- The first national flag of Independent India was unfurled on 7th August 1947 at the Parsee Bagan Square in Kolkata. It had horizontal strips of yellow, green and red. The red stripes were at the top and had eight lotuses. The green stripes had a white sun and a white hemispherical star. The national flag was a vision of Mahatma Gandhi. He knew what he wanted in the flag but was not sure how he would get all these together. The final design of India’s national flag was made by a freedom fighter named Pingali Venkayya.
- We all know that India is a large country; however there is only one agency that has the license to make the national flag. Only the Khadi development and village industries commission is authorized to make the national flag of India. The Karnataka Gramodyog is making the national flag using cotton. They are the only official makers of the national flag. When India got independent it was decided that only Khadi (it is a cloth made in India) will be used for making the national flag. If anyone used any other material for making the national flag he or she will be punished.
- The Independence Day of India is marked with a very sad incident. The country had to pay a very high price for the independence and it was the partition of the country into India and Pakistan. The partition was announced in July and all knew that India will be divided into two nations. When India was declared independent and Pakistan was also a free nation. Violence broke out in all parts of the countries and especially in the borders. 3.5 million Hindus left their homes in Pakistan and came to India. About 5 million Muslims went to Pakistan on this day.
- Gold is a very precious metal for Indians. India is one of the largest consumers of gold. In India gold is a part of all special occasions and a good gifting idea. Today the price of 10 gram gold is around 28,000 INR. You will be surprised to know that on the day of India’s Independence the value of gold was 88.62 INR for 10 grams.
- The fight over Kashmir also started since the independence of India and Pakistan. Kashmir would have been a part of Pakistan. However, Pakistan made a huge mistake of sending their tribesmen to attack Kashmir and thus they lost Kashmir. Lord Mountbatten clearly stated in his report that Pakistan was impatient and sent regular trips to Kashmir to conquer it as a result it was decided that Kashmir will be given to India.
- Another very interesting fact about independence of India is that Goa was not a part of India when it got independence. It was considered to be a part of Portugal. It was only in 1961 that the Indian armed forces took Goa under their control.
- Mahatma Gandhi is the man who is given the credit for getting India freedom. India was the first country in the world that got independence following the path of peace. On 15th August 1947, Mahatma decided to keep a fast. He was shattered by the violence between Hindus and Muslims. He was in a state of shock because he followed and preached the path of non-violence to all and on the day of independence there was so much violence. The whole purpose of India’s freedom movement was defeated by the violence that the country saw on the dreadful day of 15th August 1947.
- India shares her Independence Day with few more countries and they are Congo, South Korea and Bahrain.
- Lord Mountbatten was the viceroy of India when the independence was granted. He officially declared Pakistan a free country on 14th August 1947 and India on 15th August 1947.
- The East India Company had come to India to do business. They first came in 1600 and slowly they started to take advantage of the differences that the kings had and started to rule the country. It is very sad that India was enslaved for so long, it was always considered as a country that believed in peace. India does not have the history of attacking any country in its 1,00,000 years of history. It is the only country in the world with such a record.
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was chosen as the prime minister of India as majority of the votes were on his favour. Jawaharlal Nehru was not happy with this and wanted to be the prime minister of the country. Mahatma Gandhi had a soft corner for Nehru so he made him the first prime minister of the country.
- Jana gana mana is our national anthem. It was written by Rabindra Nath Tagore. The interesting fact is that on 15th August 1947 there was no national anthem. The national anthem was chosen in the year 1950. The song was originally written to pay homage to King George the V. Vande mataram was also a popular choice for national anthem. However, Nehru selected Jana Gana as it was easier to sing by the masses.
- A special effort was made to ensure that women feel special and important on the eve of Independence Day. The free India’s parliament was represented by Hansa Mehta. It was an attempt made to prove that in free India women will be given equal opportunities as men.
- Today the value of one rupee is almost equal to seventy dollars. At the time of independence the situation was quite different. One Indian rupee was actually equal to one dollar.
- India gets its name for river Indus; River Indus was the home of Indus Valley civilization. It was one of the first civilizations of the world. In Sanskrit however the name for India is mentioned as Bhartiya Ganarjya.
- Hindi as per the constitution of India is the official language of the country and not the national language. This is a common misconception that many people have.
- 15th August is a national holiday. All offices and schools across the country are closed on this day. Cultural programs are arranged in various parts of the country. The national flag is hoisted and the national anthem is sung. The national flag is hoisted in the Red fort by the prime minister of the country. School students assemble at the Red Fort to perform cultural programs. This is followed by a speech from the prime minister. On this day we try to remember the sacrifices that were made by the freedom fighters to ensure that the country becomes independent.
These are some of the most interesting facts about India’s Independence that not many people know of. India is an incredible country with a history that is very fascinating and inspiring. We must feel proud of the fact that India showed the world the power of peace and nonviolence. There is so much violence that is happening around the world. Small children are taking up arms and killing class mates. Every day we come across news that tells us about hate crimes. History is a testimony to the fact the violence is self-defeating and does not help anyone. Today we live in a world that is so unsafe. People do not trust each other and humanity is dying. Rabindra Nath Tagore was the one who gave the name of Mahatma to Gandhi Ji.
Mahatma means a soul that is supreme and powerful. Rabindra Nath Tagore was a very talented man and his works are still appreciated all over the world. Rabindra Nath Tagore once said that he does not read the newspaper because the newspaper is filled with news of how much man hates a man. India’s freedom was an example to the world. We got freedom using the most powerful weapon that was ever known to man. The weapon of tolerance and nonviolence. The world needs more examples like this today. On this Independence Day let’s try to look deeper and try to understand the essence of independence. Let’s try to create not only a nation but a world where the mind is free.