India's 75th Independence Day celebrations is based on theme - 'Nation First, Always First'. All Olympic medal winners have been sent special invites.
India will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day on August 15. India was under British rule from 1858 to 1947, prior to which the East Indian Company controlled India from 1757 to 1857. The first struggle for independence took place in 1857 which is famously called the Sepoy Mutiny or the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Several freedom fighters took part in the Indian Independence Movement and fought for the freedom of the country and finally ousted the British to free the nation on August 15, 1947.
India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national tricolour from the Red Fort at midnight of August 15. In his famous independence day speech, he said, "Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and now that time comes when we shall redeem our pledge. At the stroke of today's midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom."
This year the theme of India's 75th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort will be - 'Nation First, Always First'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Sunday from the historical Red Fort in Old Delhi. All the Olympians who won medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 have been sent special invites for the event.
With only three days to go for the Independence Day celebrations, let's revisit history and know about several interesting facts that are closely associated with Independence day and take pride in our history.
1. Indian National Anthem adopted in 1950
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At the time of independence, India did not have an official national anthem. The song 'Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata' composed in 1911 by Rabindranath Tagore was renamed as 'Jan Gan Man' and adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on January 24, 1950.
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2. Indian Flag was first hoisted in 1906
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The Indian national flag with 3 horizontal stripes of red, yellow, and green was hoisted on August 7, 1906, at Parsee Bagan Square, Kolkata. The first variant of our current national flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya in 1921.
The current flag with saffron, white and green stripes with the 24-spoke Ashok Chakra was officially adopted on July 22, 1947, and hoisted on August 15, 1947.
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3. Lord Mountbatten chose August 15 as India's Independence Day
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Although the Indian Independence Act was approved on July 18, 1947, Lord Mountbatten chose August 15 as the date of India's independence as it coincided with the date of Japan's surrendering to the Allied Forces after World War II on August 15, 1945.
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4. National song 'Vande Mataram' part of Bengali novel
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The national song 'Vande Mataram' composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was indeed part of his novel Anandamath written in the 1880s. This song was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896. Vande Mataram was adopted as the national song on January 24, 1950.
It was translated in prose by Shri Aurobindo in Karmayogin on 20 November 1909.
(Image Source: Twitter)
5. Radcliffe Line officially published on August 17, 1947
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The demarcation line drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe to depict the Pakistani and Indian portions of Punjab and Bengal, also known as the Radcliffe Line was completed on August 3, 1947. But it was officially published only on August 17, 1947, two days after India got its independence from the British.
(Image Source: Zee Media/File)
6. Rabindranath Tagore penned National Anthem of Bangladesh
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Rabindranath Tagore not just penned the National Anthem of India but also our neighbouring country Bangladesh. 'Amar Sonar Bangla' was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905. The first 10 lines of this song were adopted as the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1971, during its liberation war.
Sri Lankan national anthem - 'Sri Lanka Matha' words and music was deeply influenced by Tagore. The most widely held view is that Sri Lankan composer Ananda Samarakoon wrote the music and lyrics to the song inspired or influenced by Gurudev.
(Image Source: File Photo)
