New Delhi: India will mark its 72nd Independence Day on August 15.  It is a day to pledge and to protect the unity, and integrity of our country. It is a national holiday and is celebrated with much fervor across the nation.

As an Indian National, this a day to remember all those people who sacrificed their lives for the nation and became immortal in our hearts.  These heroes fought off Britishers to give us independence from over 200 years of rule.

Here’s a list of few heroes who made it possible for us to hold our heads high:

Lal Bahadur Shastri: This national hero was born on 2 October, 1904 in Mughalsarai, Varanasi. He had political associations with Indian National Congress. Shastri joined the Indian independence movement in the 1920s . He was deeply impressed and influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, and he became his loyal follower. Following independence in 1947, his slogan of "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer") became very popular during the war with Pakistan and is remembered even today.

  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: He was an Indian statesman, a and a founding father of the Republic of India who played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence and guided it into an independent nation. He acted as Supreme Commander-in-chief of Indian army during the political integration of India and the Indo-Pak War of 1947.


 

  • Sarojini Naidu: She took part in the National Movement, became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and fought for the attainment of Swaraj. Naidu later became the President of Indian National Congress and was appointed to the Governor of the United Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh. She was a poet and a writer.


 

  • Lala Lajipati Rai: He was a freedom fighter who played a very big role in Indian Independence movement. He was born on 28 January 1836.  After joining the Indian National Congress and taking part in political agitation in Punjab, Lala Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay, Burma, without trial in May 1907. In November, however, he was allowed to return when the viceroy, Lord Minto, decided that there was insufficient evidence to hold him for subversion.


 

  • Bhagat Singh: Shaheed Bhagat Singh was one of the most influential revolutionaries of Indian independence movement. In December 1928, Bhagat Singh and an associate, Shivaram Rajguru, fatally shot a 21-year-old British police officer, John Saunders in Lahore (which was then a part of British India) instead of the British police superintendent, James Scott, whom they wanted to assassinate. believing he was responsible for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.