Independence Day 2021: History Of India’s Freedom Struggle And Some Lesser-Known Facts

India's Independence Day History: The national flag with saffron, white and green colours, and Ashok Chakra in the middle, was officially adopted on July 22, 1947, and hoisted on August 15, 1947.

New Delhi: Indians are gearing up for the 75th Independence Day celebrations that will take place on August 15. India liberated itself from British rule on this day in 1947, scripting the freedom with the blood of tens of thousands who sacrificed their lives.

The British rule started in India with East India Company's victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. It took over 200 years for India to send the English back and attain Independence, which came on August 15, 1947.

History Of India’s Freedom Struggle

While the Sepoy Mutiny, the revolt of 1857 strred by Mangal Pandey, a soldier in the British army, is considered the 'First War of Independence', the fight gained momentum during World War I, spearheaded by Mohandas Karamdas Gandhi, who then launched his first campaign of civil disobedience or 'Asahayog' movement against the British in February 1919 — after the Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 and the Kheda Satyagraha in 1918.

Then came the Quit India Movement of 1942, by when India was determined to throw the British out.  

On July 4, 1947, the Indian Independence Bill was presented in the British House of Commons and it was passed within a fortnight. The Bill paved the way for India’s Independence from British rule, following which India became a free country with the bifurcation of India and Pakistan.

First Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of Red Fort in Delhi on August 15, 1947. Observed as a national holiday, the tradition continues with the Prime Minister of India hoisting the tricolour flag at the Red Fort. The ceremony is followed by cultural events.

Independence Day: Dates And Facts

1. Did you know that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's song ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’, composed in 1911, was renamed as ‘Jana Gana Mana’? Yes, the song was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the national anthem on January 24, 1950.

2. Our national flag with three horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green was hoisted on August 7, 1906, at Parsee Bagan Square in Kolkata. The first pattern of India's national flag was designed by freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya in 1921. The current colours of saffron, white and green colours, and the Ashok Chakra in the middle, were officially adopted on July 22, 1947, and hoisted on August 15, 1947.

3. It is interesting to note that five other countries also celebrate their independence on August 15. They include Bahrain, North Korea, South Korea, the Republic of Congo and Liechtenstein.

4. Another fact that is unique is that the Indian flag is manufactured and supplied from only one place, the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), located in Dharwad in Karnataka. It has the authority to manufacture and supply the Indian national flag.

5. Even as India achieved independence in 1947, Goa remained a Portuguese colony until 1961, until it was annexed by the Indian Army. Hence, Goa was the last state to join the Indian territory.