Today In History: Independence for India

Long before I undertook the education of the youngsters of the Tolstoy Farm I had realized that the training of the spirit was a thing by itself. To develop the spirit is to build character and to enable one to work towards knowledge of God and self-realization. And I held that this was an essential part of the training of the young, and that all training without culture of the spirit was of no use, and might even be harmful.

-- Mahatma Gandhi, An Autiobiography (p. 398).

A public holiday in India that commemorates the nation's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, Independence Day is celebrated annually on August 15th. After 200 years of British rule, India gained her independence through a movement led by Mahatma Gandhi of the Indian National Congress that consisted largely of non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.  While legislative power was transferred to the Indian Constituent Assembly on August 15th, 1947, British India would be divided into the Dominions of India and Pakistan,  causing untimely violence and many casualties. To this day, the Indian national flag, known  as the Tiranga for its three colors (saffron, white, and India green with a navy blue ashoka chakra or symbolic wheel of dharma), is raised above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in New Delhi. Saffron represents courage and sacrifice; white, peace and truth; and green, faith and fertility, with blessed or favorable land.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Freedom for India Looms, Says Gandhi: Mahatma Serves Notice He Will Fight for Full Independence. India Freedom Bid Called Not Over. (1931, Mar 06). The Washington Post (1923-1954) 
• Gandhi Poses Independence Plea to India. (1940, Jan 24). Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• The New Pledge for Freedom: India's Independence Day. (1947, Jan 26).  The Hindustan Times (1924-) 
• End of 200-Year-Old-British Rule in India: Royal Assent to Independence Bill; Brief But Colourful Ceremony in Lords: Two Dominions Created. (1947, Jul 19). The Hindustan Times (1924-) 
• Commons Pass Independence Bill: All Parties Wish India Well; Attlee Hopes Dominions Will Unite; Britain's Desire for Real and Living Friendship.  (1947, Jul 16). The Hindustan Times (1924-) 
• India's Day of Independence: Public Holiday Tricolour to Fly Everywhere. (1947, Jul 21)The Times of India (1861-) 
• The Associated Press. (1947, Aug 16). Independence Day in India Eases Fratricidal Conflict. New York Times (1923-) 
• Third Year of Independence Dawns: India_Wide Preparations for Celebrations; Special Prayers at Rajghat Nehru to Unfurl National Flag Over Red Fort. (1949, Aug 15). The Hindustan Times (1924-) 
• Keatley, P. (1981, Nov 19). How Mountbatten Ended the Raj. The Guardian (1959-2009) 
• Burns, J.F. (1997, Aug 14). India's 5 Decades of Progress and Pain: 50 Years Past Midnight. An Independent India Looks Back at 50 Years of Progress and Pain. New York Times (1923-) 
• Woollacott, M. (1997, Aug 14). The Subcontinent, Living for Half a Century Under the Pervasive Tyranny of 'If Only': On the 50th Anniversary of the End of the Raj, a Sense of Lost Opportunity Haunts India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Guardian (1959-2009) 

Tips:

• Bose, M. Bose Bandhu aani Bhartiya Swatantrya : Marmbandhatalya Aathvadi. 1st ed., SAGE Publications, 2017. e-book.
• Coward, H. G. Indian Critiques of Gandhi. State University of New York Press, 2003. e-book.
• Evans, Hubert. Looking Back on India. 1st ed. F. Cass, 1988.  e-book.
• Gandhi. An Autobiography, or, The Story of My Experiments with Truth. 1st ed., Open Road Integrated Media, 2017. e-book.
• Kaviraj, S. The Imaginary Institution of India : Politics and Ideas. Columbia University Press, 2010.  e-book.
• Miller, D.L. Mahatma Gandhi : March to Independence. Cavendish Square, 2018. e-book.
• Be sure to check out Children's Art of India which was exhibited for the first time at the Gottesman Libraries in the Spring of 2025.

Images:

• Partition of India 1947. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
• The Indian National Flag, or Tiranga, Courtesy of Canva.