Celebrating 75th Year of Freedom
“Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil me hai, dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qaatil mein hai,” / “Dushman ki goliyon ka hum samna karenge, Azad hee rahein hain, Azad hee rahenge.” These are the famous words from Ramprasad Bismil and Chandra Shekhar Azad. Words that still give us goosebumps and symbolize India’s freedom struggle even 75 years later. This year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, India celebrates its 75th Independence Day on August 15.
In India, August 15 is celebrated every year to commemorate India’s freedom from the British rule in 1947. After independence, India became the world’s largest democracy after the UK Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act, 1947, transferring legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly. On the eve of India’s independence, then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, had said in his ‘Tryst with destiny’ speech, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”
Every year, the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag at Delhi’s Red Fort and makes an address to the nation, which is followed by a military parade. The President of India also delivers the ‘address to the nation’ speech. In honour of the occasion, twenty-one gun shots are fired.
This year, India celebrates Independence Day based on the theme ‘Nation First, Always First’. The country will celebrate its 75th year of Independence at Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on August 15, 2021.All the athletes who won medals at Tokyo Olympics 2020 have also been sent special invites to attend Independence Day 2021. Like Independence Day was celebrated in 2020, this year’s celebrations will also be restricted to the public and no cultural performances and events will be staged by the children.
To really get you in the spirit of azaadi, here are a few more slogans that became synonymous with the Indian freedom fighters who used them:
“Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi dunga” – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
“Swaraj mera janmsiddh adhikaar hai aur main isey lekar rahunga” – Bal Gangadhar Tilak
“Inquilab zindabad” – Bhagat Singh
