Independence Day 2023: Know why the occasion is celebrated on 15 August

Independence Day or Swatantrata Diwas is observed annually on 15 August. The year 2023 marks 77 years of India’s independence. The country commemorates it as the day of its freedom as in 1947, the subcontinent threw off the shackles of British rule. The day salutes the soldiers, people and freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in their struggle for independence. The day marks their undaunting patriotism and dedication towards freedom from the British. But ever wondered why India celebrates Independence Day on 15 August every year? Here is everything you need to know.

Poorna Swaraj

The Indian National Congress echoed the call for ‘Poorna Swaraj’ or total independence from British colonial rule in 1929. This led them to choose 26 January as Independence Day. While the Congress Party celebrated the event from 1930 onwards, it was not until 26 January 1950, which is marked as Republic Day, that the country formally became a sovereign country and no longer functioned as a British Dominion.

It was Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, who provided the British parliament with the mandate to transfer power by 30 June, 1948. According to C. Rajagopalachari, the former Minister of Home Affairs of the Indian government, there would have been no power left to transfer. Mountbatten therefore changed the date to August 1947.

The reason behind the move explained that by extending the date further, the Viceroy ensured there was no bloodshed or riot in the country. Independence from the British also led to Partition and communal clashes, with several millions displaced and ultimately losing lives. In Mountbatten’s words, “wherever colonial rule has ended, there has been bloodshed. That is the price you pay.”

Indian Independence Bill

The Indian Independence Bill was introduced in the British House of Commons based on Lord Mountbatten’s inputs on 4 July, 1947. It was passed within a fortnight. The two most crucial aspects of the bill were- it provided for the end of British rule in India, on 15 August, 1947 and it established the Dominions of India and Pakistan, to secede from the British Commonwealth.

Shedding light on choosing the date of 15 August, Lord Mountbatten claimed in the book Freedom at Midnight, that “The date I chose came out of the blue. I chose it to answer a question. I was determined to show I was the master of the whole event. When they asked when 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 headed out to the 15th August. Why? Because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender.”