Independence Day 2024: On Thursday, August 15, India is preparing to celebrate its 78th Independence Day. What better time to take a look at these examples, which are less known to citizens but make us feel proud? India won its freedom with immense sacrifices by people across the country. Countless people died at the hands of the British and many were sentenced to death, including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who continue to inspire the people of the country.
The struggle for independence is filled with numerous heroic stories of freedom fighters who selflessly gave their lives for their country. However, there are some details that you may not have noticed until now.
Below are some of the lesser-known facts:
- Mahatma Gandhi, revered as the “Father of the Nation” and a central figure in India’s struggle for freedom, was unable to take part in the first Independence Day celebrations. He was not in New Delhi to take part in the festivities.
- Lord Mountbatten, India’s last Viceroy and first Governor-General, chose August 15 as the date to declare the nation’s independence. Although the British Parliament had authorized him to transfer power to the Indian people in June 1948, he decided to bring forward the date to August 15, 1947. This decision was reportedly taken to avoid further violence and unrest.
- Astrology is believed to have played a role in determining the timing of India’s independence. Hardeoji and Suryanarain Vyas of Ujjain warned Babu Rajendra Prasad, who would later become India’s first president, that 15 August 1947 was considered an inauspicious day according to astrological calculations. Upon learning that the British would only allow India to choose a specific time on that date, Hardeo strongly recommended that the declaration be made at midnight.
- The Indian national flag was first devised by Pingali Venkayya in 1921. He presented the idea to Mahatma Gandhi when the latter visited Vijayawada.
- The Indian tricolour, which then consisted of the colours red, yellow and green, was first hoisted on 7 August 1906 at Parsee Bagan Square in Kolkata.
- Rabindranath Tagore had originally composed ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’, which was adopted as the National Anthem of India as ‘Jana Gana Mana’.
- India shares its Independence Day with several other countries, including North Korea, Congo, Liechtenstein, South Korea and Bahrain.
- The India League was a prominent organisation that advocated India’s independence from England. It had over 1,400 members.
- The idea of creating the Indian National Congress was proposed by a Scottish official, AO Hume.
- ‘Vande Mataram’, the national song, was first introduced as part of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Bengali novel Anandmath.
- Dadabhai Naoroji, an independence activist, was the first Indian member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.
- Sucheta Kripalani, a famous freedom fighter, was India’s first female Chief Minister and headed the government of Uttar Pradesh from 1963 to 1967.
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