After 200 years of British rule, India officially
gained its independence on 15 August 1947. On this day, Jawaharlal Nehru, the
first prime minister of independent India, hoisted the Indian national flag
above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi and
addressed the nation, marking the start of a tradition that continues today.
Although celebrations take place throughout the country,
India’s capital city, Delhi, home to the 17th-century Red Fort that used to
serve as a political centre, is the main staging area for Independence Day
festivities.
On the eve of Independence Day, a national holiday, the
president of India delivers an address to the nation from his office that is
broadcast nationally. On the morning of 15 August, the celebration kicks off
with the arrival of the prime minister of India who receives a general salute
from the guard of honour, which consists of representatives from the three
wings of the Indian armed forces (army, navy and air force) and the Delhi
police.
The main event begins with the hoisting of the national
flag by the prime minister, which is synchronised with 21 honorary gunshots and
followed by a moving rendition of the ‘Jana Gana Mana’ (India’s national
anthem). To remind his or her people of the country’s struggle for freedom, the
prime minister addresses the nation and reminisces on the events leading up to
India’s independence and ends the speech with a note about the country’s
future.
Later in the day, celebrations include patriotic parades
and pageants focussed on honouring the freedom fighters, a march-past led by
the Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces and performances by
schoolchildren.
It
was on 15th August 1947 that India
was declared independent from British colonialism, and the reins of control
were handed over to the leaders of the Country. India’s gaining of independence
was a tryst with destiny, as the struggle for freedom was a long and tiresome
one, witnessing the sacrifices of many freedom fighters, who laid down their
lives on the line. where Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl the National Flag this will be
followed by his customary address to the nation.
On his arrival at
Lahore Gate of Red Fort, he will be received by the defence
minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for Defence Shripad Naik and
Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra.
According to the
Ministry of Defence (MoD), the defence secretary Mitra will introduce the
General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, Lt Gen Asit Mistry to the Prime
Minister. Mistry will then escort him to the saluting base where a
combined Inter-Services and Police Guards will present a general salute to the
Prime Minister; this will be followed by him inspecting the Guard of Honour.
In the Guard of
Honour contingent, there will be one officer and 24 men each from the Army,
Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police. They will be positioned directly in
front of the National Flag across the moat below the ramparts.
The Guard of
Honour will be commanded by Wg Cdr Anuj Bharadwaj, as this year the Indian Air
Force (IAF) is the coordinating Service, the Army Contingent will be commanded
by Major Laishram Tony Singh, and the naval contingent by Lt Cdr Prashanth
Prabhakar. And, the IAF contingent will be led by Sqn Ldr S B Gowda and
the Delhi Police contingent by Additional DCP Bikram HM Meena..
This year the
Army contingent has been drawn from the 2 Garhwal Rifles, the 2nd Battalion of
Garhwal Rifles, was raised on March 01, 1901 at Lansdowne.After inspecting
the Guard of Honour, Modi will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort
where he will be welcomed by the defence minister Rajnath Singh, Minister
of Defence for Defence Shripad Naik, and the three service chiefs.
The GOC Delhi
area will escort Modi to the dais to unfurl the National Flag, with the IAF
band playing the National Anthem and the National Guard presenting
‘Rashtriya Salute’.
The IAF band is
being commanded by Junior Warrant Officer Pankaj Babu. And, Modi will be
assisted by Flying Officer Preetam Sangwan in the unfurling of the National
Flag, two officers of the IAF Flt Lt Jyoti Yadav and Flt Lt Mansi Geda will be
positioned on either side of the saluting dais.
While the
unfurling is on, there will be a 21 Gun Salute fired by the gunners of the
elite 2233 Field Battery (Ceremonial), which will be commanded by Lt Col C
Sandeep and the Gun Position Officer will be Regiment Havildar Major Kolate
Rajesh Sripati.
The National Flag
Guard will have 32 men and one officer each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and
Delhi Police will present Rashtriya Salute at the time of unfurling of the
flag. Wing Commander Kunal Khanna from IAF will be in command of this
Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard.
The Army
contingent for the National Flag Guard has been drawn from the 5th Battalion of
the First Gorkha Rifles. This was initially raised in January 1942 at
Dharamshala and was later demobilised in December 1946, before being re-raised
on the 01 January 1965 at Solan (Himachal Pradesh). The Battalion has
participated in major operations by Indian Army to include ‘Operation Pawan’ in
Sri Lanka in 1989, ‘Operation Rakshak’ in J & K and ‘Operation Rhino’ in
Assam.
After Modi’s
address, school children and NCC Cadets will sing the National Anthem.
Also, there will be 3,500 girl students drawn from 41 government schools in
Delhi; 5,000 boys and 700 NCC cadets (Army, Navy and Air Force) of 17 schools.
They will display ‘strength in unity’ by the formation of words ‘नया भारत’
(Naya Bharat).
Independence Day is a national holiday in India, and as
such all schools close for the day. Celebrations vary from school to school,
but most schools will hoist the colours of the national flag. Primary schools
will also get into the spirit by decorating their classrooms and performing
plays for fellow students or reciting patriotic poems. Since the day is a
holiday for all, most people choose to spend this time with their loved ones
and celebrate as they see fit.
