Bhubaneswar: Today India is celebrating 74th Independence Day and pays tribute to all the freedom fighters who gave their lives to the struggle which ended in Britishers being thrust out of the nation.
In this article, we will be discussing some interesting and surprising facts about Indian Independence. World’s largest democracy has a long and extensive history but there are many such bits of information which is still unknown.
The Tricolour
The Indian National Flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya who was one of the freedom fighters and also an agricultural from Andhra Pradesh. The Indian National Flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya who was one of the freedom fighters and also an agricultural from Andhra Pradesh.
The Good Omen
When the tricolour was finally hoisted, there was a shower of rain, and a rainbow appeared vividly in the sky. People present saw in this a good omen. According to an account from that time, “They looked at three prominent colours of the rainbow and exclaimed `heavenly flag’. The first hoisting national flag on the ramparts of the Red Fort, which has since become a tradition on Independence Day, was done by Prime Minister Nehru on the morning of the next day, August 16.
National Anthem
India’s national anthem is written by Rabindranath Tagore and was originally composed in Bengali as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata. It was first publicly sung on 27 December 1911, at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. During a meeting of the German-Indian Society on 11 September 1942, Subhas Chandra Bose first used the term “National Anthem” for Jana Gana Mana. It formally became the national anthem of India in 1950.
The Constitution of India
The final draft of the Indian Constitution which is the longest in the world was written primarily by Dr BR Ambedkar. It was adopted on 26 November 1949; after almost 2 years, 11 months and 17 days after Indian Independence. It was legally enforced on 26 January 1950, the day that we celebrate as Republic Day ever since.
The Prime Ministers
Independent India entered into the new era with her first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous speech ‘Tryst with destiny’. India has had 14 Prime Ministers out of which one has been a female Prime Minister. She has had 13 full-time Presidents out of which only one has been a woman.
The Date ‘August 15’
Did you know that the date ‘August 15’ was chosen by the Last Viceroy and first Governor-General of India Lord Mountbatten as it was the same day in 1945 that Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces at the end of the World War II.
The Value Of Rupee In 1947
The exchange rate on August 15, 1947, was Re 1 = $ 1. Currently, $ 1 = Rs 74.85
Five Other Countries Celebrate Aug 15 As Independence Day
August 15 is celebrated as Independence Day in not only India but also in five other countries – Bahrain, North Korea, South Korea, Liechtenstein and Republic of Congo.