On August 15, 1947, India gained independence from British rule after the Partition, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was inaugurated as the inaugural Prime Minister of the newly independent nation.
The road to India's independence was paved by the partition of British India along religious lines. This division led to the creation of the Dominion of Pakistan, a new homeland for Indian Muslims, later divided into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Pakistan emerged on August 14, 1947, while India achieved its independence on August 15 of the same year. This partition stands as one of the most tragic and violent episodes in recent subcontinental history, marked by extensive cross-border migrations. Muslims migrated to Pakistan, leaving their ancestral homes in India, while Hindus and Sikhs moved from what was now Pakistan to India. The partition unleashed a wave of horrifying riots, killings, abductions, and assaults. Trains carrying mutilated bodies crossed the newly drawn Radcliffe Line, the border separating the two nations. Countless individuals fled their homes, forsaking their possessions due to the looming threat of communal violence. Around ten million people embarked on arduous journeys by foot, bullock cart, and train to reach their promised new homelands.
By the conclusion of World War II, Britain found itself depleted of resources and recognized its diminishing capacity to govern an increasingly agitated India. Consequently, the British resolved to relinquish their rule in India, initially aiming for a transfer of power by June 1948. However, escalating violence between Hindus and Muslims, particularly in Punjab and Bengal, coupled with the British army's inability to control the massive upheaval, compelled the then Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, to expedite the transfer of power. This decision allowed India and Pakistan less than six months to execute the mutually agreed-upon plan for independence. In June 1947, nationalist leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Abul Kalam Azad, Muhammad Ali Jinnah representing the All India Muslim League (which he had formed after splitting from the Congress), B.R. Ambedkar for the Dalits, and Master Tara Singh for the Sikh community, agreed to divide the nation along religious lines—a stance opposed by Mahatma Gandhi. This division allocated Hindus and Sikhs to India, while Muslims were designated to the new state of Pakistan.
At the stroke of midnight on August 14th and 15th, 1947, India and Pakistan respectively emerged as self-governing nations. Lord Mountbatten attended the power transfer ceremony in Karachi, Pakistan's then capital, on the eve of August 14th, and the following day, he was present in Delhi for India's transfer of power. Pakistan commemorates its Independence Day on August 14th, while India celebrates on August 15th each year.
The dawn of India's independence on August 15, 1947, was marked by Jawaharlal Nehru's historic speech titled "Tryst with Destiny." Delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly in Parliament on the cusp of Independence, during the late hours of August 14, 1947, this speech is regarded as one of history's most remarkable and renowned addresses. Nehru's speech encapsulated India's triumph in its nonviolent struggle against British rule, stating, "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." Nehru also emphasized the responsibilities accompanying freedom and power. He expressed empathy for those affected by the partition, affirming that the separated individuals remain an integral part of India. The speech concluded with Nehru's homage to India, its ancient heritage, and its ever-renewed spirit.
The Independence of India on August 15, 1947, marked the conclusion of the Interim Government of India, established on September 2, 1946, from the newly elected Constituent Assembly of India. This government oversaw the transition of India and Pakistan from British rule to independence. The Constitution, adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, became effective on January 26, 1950, celebrated annually as Republic Day. With the adoption of the Constitution, the Union of India was rechristened the Republic of India.
After independence, Jawaharlal Nehru assumed the role of India's first Prime Minister, with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as Deputy Prime Minister. Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Governor-General of India, was invited by Patel to continue as the Governor-General of independent India. Mountbatten was eventually succeeded by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in June 1948.
The period of India's independence also marked the establishment of Wartime Gallantry Awards, including the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military honor; the Maha Vir Chakra, the second highest honor for displaying exceptional valor in the face of the enemy; and the Vir Chakra, the third highest military award, bestowed upon brave soldiers of the Indian Army.
In the aftermath of independence, India maintained its membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and cultivated a friendly relationship with the United Kingdom. The two nations share robust cultural and social ties, with a significant Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom, numbering over a million.
Independence Day in India is observed as a national holiday. On the eve of Independence Day each year, the Prime Minister addresses the nation, raising the national flag at the Red Fort. This ceremony is accompanied by twenty-one gun salutes in honor of the occasion and the singing of the national anthem. Government buildings are illuminated, and flag-raising ceremonies take place in schools, colleges, and offices across the country. Additionally, flying tricolored kites has become a popular tradition symbolizing freedom and serving as a way to celebrate and commemorate Independence Day.
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