Indian Independence Day is observed every year on August 15 since the year 1947 when the British left India. From 26 January 1929 to 15 August 1947 to 30 June 1948, India witnessed many changes before its official date of Independence was declared.
It was the Congress President’s call for Poorna Swaraj or total independence in 1929 when the day, January 26 was chosen to obtain freedom from the British shackles. In Fact, the Congress continued to celebrate this day from 1930 onwards as Independence day and after India became free on August 15, 1947, the country was declared Republic on January 26, 1950. India became a sovereign country free from the Dominion status of Britain since that day.
So How August 15 was chosen as Independence Day of India?
Following years of struggle and bloodshed that finally forced the British to surrender their rule in India, the British Parliament gave Lord Mountbatten the mandate to transfer the power to India by June 30, 1948.
The freedom fighters, who gave their all for India’s independence, objected to the delay.
In order to avoid further bloodshed and riots, Mountbatten decided to bring forward the date of independence to 15 August 1947. According to a Times of India report, the first Governor General C Rajagopalachari said, “If he (Lord Mountbatten) had waited till June 1948, there would have been no power left to transfer.” It was passed within a fortnight.
Mountbatten said that “the date I chose came out of the blue. I chose it in reply to a question. I was determined to show I was a master of the whole event. When they asked if we had set a date, I knew it had to be soon. I hadn’t worked it out exactly then, I thought it had to be about August or September and I then went out on the 15th of August. Why? Because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender.”
