Independence Day
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”Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. 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 the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance .... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself
again." - Jawaharlal Nehru (Speech on Indian Independence Day, 1947).
At the stroke of midnight, as India moved into 15th August, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, read out the above speech and proclaimed the independence of India from the colonial British rule. At the same moment in
time, the country was divided into two countries, Pakistan and India. Pakistan celebrates its Indepenence Day on August 14, India does so on the following day, August 15.
About Independence Day
After attaining independence, a Constituent Assembly was set up to draft a constitution for the country. This constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950, when India became a Republic. January 26 is, therefore, celebrated as the anniversary
of India’s Republic Day.
Independence Day, August 15, commemorates the day in 1947 when India achieved freedom from British rule. It is celebrated with flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programs in the state capitals. The Prime Minister's speech at the Red Fort in Delhi is the
major highlight.
All Government Organisations have a holiday as 15th August is a National holiday . In the capital New Delhi most of the Government Offices are lit up. In all the cities around the country the Flag Hoisting Ceremony is done by politicians
belonging to that constituency.