On the 15th of August,1947, India achieved independence. This ended almost 2 centuries of the British empire. As we celebrate the 75th Independence Day, we commemorate our countless freedom fighters and their sacrifices for our country.
Every Independence Day, several events are conducted in honor of the freedom fighters. Let’s learn more about our path towards liberty.
Know about the history of Independence:
British rule in India began in the 1700s by the East India Company, followed by the Battle of Plassey. They ruled India for almost 100 years. It was replaced by British rule in the wake of the Sepoy mutiny (1857). Source: The British empire relied on the Indian elites for day-to-day functioning. The Indian National Congress (INC) was formed with the idea where Indians should be given priority in administrative roles.
In 1918, by the end of the first world war, the British empire was still secure. India had sent and paid for thousands of soldiers who played an important role in the victory of the Great War. Nationalism in the country grew day by day. Indians thought they should have more say in the government. This was because of the sacrifices they made in the Great War.
Things took a swift turn in 1919 when General Dyer ordered his troops to fire on unarmed people protesting in Amritsar. Hundreds of people died. Nearly thousands were injured. This brought international attention to India. It showered support from all over the world, especially the USA. In the late 1920s and 1930s, many movements were introduced. Aiming the British to leave the country. This includes the famous Quit India movement, the Salt March (Dandi March), and boycotting of British products. These movements were led by the famous freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. These protests and movements were non-violent (Ahimsa). In 1921, Britain gave self-rule to the Irish state which made it even more difficult to deny self-ruling in India.
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What Next?
In the wake of this event, the British introduced more and more measures in India. The number of people eligible for voting was increased. They were elected as ministers and given jobs in the government.
In 1935, the British passed the Government of India act . The country was divided into self-ruling territories under a united federation as in Australia or Canada. But the level of Independence was not the same.
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Seeing the British hesitating to give Indians the right to rule, Indian National Congress, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, began the campaign to end the British rule in India.
Even then, the protests continued. India sent and paid for 1000s of troops during the second world war to fight for the British. This time, the British agreed to give Dominion status to India in 1942, which again came with too many restrictions. Nehru, the Indian National Congress Leader, turned it down and demanded Independence for India. Even though they were protesting for Independence, they made sure it did not affect the second world war. When the war ended, the protests increased exponentially.
As a result, at the stroke of midnight, India regained its freedom from British rule and became an Independent Nation. Jawaharlal Nehru, INC, was elected as the first Prime Minister of Independent India. On the occasion of gaining Independence, in his speech ‘ A tryst with destiny, he stated, “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” On this day, let’s remember the sung and unsung heroes of our freedom struggle. The countless sacrifices & efforts put to make our Nation Independent is beyond any comparison. Be proud and keep working towards India’s growth & Prosperity. TheUncommonBox Team wishes you all a very Happy Independence Day.
The article is written by Arthy Ramkumar (@arthy_ramkumar)
This article is edited by Alisha and her Instagram id is @yeah_me_alisha
and Curated by Vaibhav and his Instagram id is @frameshade
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