Independence Day of India, 15 August 2023: History, Significance, Facts and all you need to know

History of Independence Day of India
By the late 17th century, European traders had established outposts on the Indian subcontinent. The East India Company fought and conquered local kingdoms with their superior military prowess, becoming the dominant force by the 18th century. The Government of India Act of 1858 allowed the British Crown to take full control of India after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.Civic society gradually began to grow in India in the ensuing decades, most notably the Indian National Congress Party, which was founded in 1885.

The years following World War I saw the passage of the unpopular Rowlatt Act and demands for Indian self-rule, as well as colonial reforms like the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms. The period's unrest culminated in a number of national non-violent movements.


The British gradually passed the reform into law in the 1930s, and Congress won the ensuing elections.

The next ten years saw a lot of political unrest due to the All-India Muslim League's Muslim nationalism rising, Indian involvement in World War II, and the Congress' final drive for non-cooperation. The 1947 declaration of independence put an end to the rising political turmoil. The deadly division of colonial India into India and Pakistan dampened the celebration.



The partition of British India into the Dominions of India and Pakistan, which was accompanied by bloody riots, widespread deaths, and the eviction of almost 15 million people owing to religious violence, occurred concurrently with India's declaration of independence. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, raised the country's flag over the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi on August 15, 1947. The current Prime Minister raises the flag and addresses the country on each successive Independence Day.


The national broadcaster of India, Doordarshan, broadcasts the entire event, which typically kicks off with some of Ustad Bismillah Khan's shehnai music. India celebrates Independence Day with flag-raising ceremonies, parades, and cultural events.


1. The Indian tricolour was designed by Pingali Venkayya, a freedom fighter and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
2. The only materials used to create the national flag are hand-spun and hand-woven cotton khadi bunting.
3. The top band, which is saffron in colour, symbolises the nation's fortitude and valour; the middle band, which is white and features a Dharma Chakra; and the bottom band, which is green, depicts the nation's fertility, growth, and good fortune.

4. Indians did not have a recognised national song at the time of independence. Rabindranath Tagore wrote the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in 1911; it was renamed "Jan Gan Man" and declared the national anthem of India by the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950.
5. On Independence Day, Indian Prime ministers have delivered their speeches from behind a bulletproof glass panel since Indira Gandhi's murder. However, ever since Narendra Modi was elected the prime minister in 2014, he has abandoned this custom. Therefore, more drastic steps were taken to assure security.