INDEPENDENCE DAY:  

On Monday, August 15, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl the Tricolour and address the nation from the Red Fort as part of the 75th Independence Day celebration. This day commemorates all the sacrifices made by Indians and freedom fighters to free India from British rule. Flag hoisting, parades, cultural events, and award ceremonies mark the occasion. This is India's most prestigious day, and millions of people watch it live on television as well as from the Red Fort. In the solemn occasion, 21 guns are fired after the flag is hoisted, and the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" (Unity in Diversity) is sung. 



Let us now look at the history of our Independence. The first British settlers in India arrived in 1608.Britten faced a major problem in their country: a lack of resources, which caused their economy to deteriorate over time. They were forced to import goods and other resources from all over the world. This forced them to raid and rule over other countries for their resources, one of which was India. They first chose India because of its rich resources and the fact that it was divided into many kingdoms and had a lack of unity in the country and as a result, the British thought they could easily take over the entire country and did so. The people and kingdoms didn't notice the arrival of the Britishers at first, and as a result, they were crushed with their high-tech weapons, and the lands were gradually captured. Most of the kings were under the East India Company, and those who weren't were executed. After the British went to extremes in their rule, people began fighting for their freedom; it was the first time they felt a sense of belonging to a free country, and all Indians began to unite. They fought several wars with them, but they lost most of them due to the cannons and other heavy weaponry the British had. The years were difficult for Indians until 1857, when the Indian Independence movement began. People had the only aim to free India, and Mangal Pandey was the movement's founder and first independence fighter.  


For the British, this was a frightening movement, they knew that if the people of India grouped together, they could drive them out of their country, so they began exploiting India in a range of ways, including starving the people, dividing, and conquering, the rise of casteism and even stealing the country's most important historical treasures, which are now housed in England's museums. This was not enough; they also constructed the world's most deadly prison in Andaman, known as "Kala Pani," where they tortured Indians as well as our freedom fighters. The finest Indian poets of India, such as Sarojini Naidu, Rabindranath Tagore, Shyamal Gupta, and Aurobindo, were freedom fighters who not only aided India by fighting for it but also by composing many excellent poems that stated the Indians to wake up and join the struggle for independence. WWII was also the main reason for Britishers to leave India. Even Subhas Chandra Bose was the most important person to free India, and he enlisted the help of Adolf Hitler, a good friend and enemy of the British. He also formed his own army known as "Azad Hind," which was strongly supported by Japan. 


After all of this fighting, the Indians finally drove the British out of India on August 15, 1947. This was the movement that changed our country's future only because of the struggles of our freedom fighters. Today India is the fastest growing country and to add, in 2019 India became the 5th largest economy leaving behind UK. Our national flag is hoisted at all of our schools and offices on Independence Day. This day teaches us unity and all Indians come together to sing our national anthem and honour the freedom fighters and the Indian flag, whether they are Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, or Sikhs. I am proud to be an Indian! 

“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.” - Jawaharlal Nehru