India's struggle for freedom was one of epic proportions. It was a revolution that overthrew the British Empire, which had been in India since the 15^th century. But India had been ruled by different invaders from well before that. India won her freedom by the contributions of hundreds and thousands of Indians who fought for many years. And finally on the 14^th of August in 1947, India was free.

India's struggle for freedom was one of epic proportions. It was a revolution that overthrew the British Empire, which had been in India since the 15^th century. But India had been ruled by different invaders from well before that. India won her freedom by the contributions of hundreds and thousands of Indians who fought for many years. And finally on the 14^th of August in 1947, India was free.

Independence Day is a celebration of that very spirit.

India's Independence - History

Many historians believe that Mangal Pandey was the first revolutionary in India's struggle for justice. Everybody knows the story of the Revolt of 1857, in which Mangal Pandey shot his commanding officer to protest against the East India Company. The event made India realize the importance of freedom and inspired them to fight back. It began an age of political awareness which resulted in people with similar ideas forming associations and parties.

Soon began a chain of events that ultimately led to India's freedom in 1947. But it was a long and tiring struggle with many setbacks, as the British Raj tried hard to retain their hold over the Indian sub-continent. Many royals, nobles, intellectuals, and common people showed their dissent in whatever way they could. The victory of India's freedom struggle cannot be attributed to tone person or event. Many different people with different ideologies fought for India. If there was a Bhagat Singh; there was also a Mahatma Gandhi. For every Tilak, there was a Gokhale.

It was with this unique combination of extremism and pacifism that India won her freedom. The last move was India's Quit India Movement that began in 1942 and achieved its goal in 1947. The final struggle was one of negotiation, one of logic and common sense. Finally Mahatma Gandhi managed to convince the British Raj that we were ready to govern ourselves; we were ready to be free.

On 3rd June, 1947, Lord Mountbatten, who was the last Governor-General of India, announced that India would now be a free country. And on the 15^th of August we finally were. Pandit Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India and Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President.

The Significance of Independence Day

With the current state of issues in India, realizing the importance of Independence Day is the need of the hour. There are a lot of political parties and leaders cashing in on the differences of the Indian people. Tolerance for each others' culture is at an all-time low. There are a lot of communal and regional and caste clashes happening. At this time, we need to remind ourselves that we fought for freedom as one country.

There were men and women from all states and regions of India who fought for India's independence. Many were lauded; many went unnoticed. When they fought for independence, they did not fight for their region or people alone, but for the entire country. They had a dream of one big unified country where people could not only be free but truly united. And many of those freedom fighters gave up their lives because they believed in this dream.

This is exactly what makes India's Independence Day so relevant. It is a tribute to all the people who saved us from exploitation and suppression.

So go ahead and salute the Indian flag on this special day and remember all that it stands for. Happy Independence Day to everyone!

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