By Kartikeya Semwal
Independence day is celebrated on August 15 by India to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. Flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted all over the country by the local administration in attendance. The main event takes place in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. The Prime Minister also pays his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle. A colorful pageant showcasing India’s cultural diversity, symbolic depictions of the country’s advances in science and technology, and a joint display of India’s military capabilities by the armed forces are an essential part of the Independence Day celebrations.
With the decision by Britain to withdraw from the Indian subcontinent, the Congress Party and Muslim League agreed in June 1947 to a partition of India along religious lines. Under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, India and Pakistan were established as independent dominions with predominantly Hindu areas allocated to India and predominantly Muslim areas to Pakistan.
After India's independence on August 15, 1947, India received most of the subcontinent's 562 widely scattered polities, or princely states, as well as the majority of the British provinces, and parts of three of the remaining provinces. Muslim Pakistan received the remainder. Pakistan consisted of a western wing, with the approximate boundaries of modern Pakistan, and an eastern wing, with the boundaries of present-day Bangladesh.
The division of the subcontinent caused tremendous dislocation of populations; inter-communal violence cost more than 1,000,000 lives. Some 3.5 million Hindus and Sikhs moved from Pakistan into India, andabout 5 million Muslims migrated from India to Pakistan. In Punjab, where the Sikh community was cut in half, a period of terrible bloodshed followed. Overall, the demographic shift caused an initial bitterness between the two countries that was further intensified by each country's accession of a portion of the princely states.
Adding to the tensions, the issue of the polities Kashmir, Hyderabad, and the small and fragmented state of Junagadh (in present-day Gujarat), remained unsettled at independence. Later, the Muslim ruler of Hindu-majority Junagadh agreed to join to Pakistan, but a movement by his people, followed by Indian military action and a plebiscite (people's vote of self-determination), brought the state into India.
The nizam of Hyderabad, also a Muslim ruler of a Hindu-majority populace, tried to maneuver to gain independence for his very large and populous state, which was, however, surrounded by India.
After more than a year of fruitless negotiations, India sent its army in a police action in September 1948, and Hyderabad became part of India.
The Hindu ruler of Kashmir, whose subjects were 85 percent Muslim, decided to join India. Pakistan, however, questioned his right to do so, and a war broke out between India and Pakistan. A cease-fire was arranged in 1949, with the cease-fire line creating a de facto partition of the region.
The central and eastern areas of the state came under Indian administration as Jammu and Kashmir state, while the northwestern quarter came under Pakistani control as Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas. Although a UN peacekeeping force was sent in to enforce the cease-fire, the dispute was not resolved.This deadlock has intensified suspicion and antagonism between the two countries. In 1971, Pakistan was itself subdivided when its eastern section broke away and formed Bangladesh. Border disputes continue to embitter Pakistani-Indian relations, as Pakistan has produced a series of autocratic military rulers, while India maintained a parliamentary democracy.
In all the schools and colleges across India, no academic work is done on Independence Day, but all the students and staff members would be present in their respective educational institutions, to celebrate the day. A sort of social gathering is arranged in the educations institutions, wherein cultural programs are organized. Flag hoisting ceremony takes place within their respective premises. As the flag is hoisted by the head of the institution (mostly the principal), students sing national anthem and pay respect to their flag and to uphold the sovereignty of the country. Students and teachers celebrate the day at their respective educational institutions, while others back home spend the day either by going for an outing or watching special programs on television. Majority of the people tune in to Doordarshan in the morning, to watch the live telecast of Prime Minister's speech at the Red Fort in Delhi, as it is the major highlight of the Independence Day of India. Prime Minister's speech and patriotic songs and documentaries showing excerpts from the freedom struggle are aired on the national channels, while the private television channels make it a point that their viewers are amused all through the day. Hence, they telecast cultural programs, movies related to independence, apart from the patriotic songs that regenerate the hidden patriotism in people.
Shops across India are strictly directed to keep their shutters down on Independence Day, while you can still spot the groceries and small stores opening up late in the evening. All government offices remain closed on August 15. India Gate is the center of attraction and a nice place to hang out in the evening of Independence Day, as the structure is attractively illuminated. The sky in filled with kites of various shapes and colors. As a whole, it can be said that Independence Day is a holiday much awaited by people in India, every year.
