15th August is celebrated as a national holiday in India to remember this date and to pay homage to those who fought for India's freedom in the past. Great leaders and freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Abul Kalam Azad, Jinnah, B. R. Ambedkar and Master Tara Singh are few of the many to whom India owes its freedom. And it’s never too late to remember all these heroes, some of them unsung, who had sacrificed their lives for the India that it is today…
The period leading up to Independence Day is a time when major government buildings are illuminated with strings of lights and the Tricolour flutters from roofs of homes and other buildings.
The President of the India delivers the '"Address to the Nation" on the eve of Independence Day. India’s Prime Minister unfurls India’s flag and delivers a speech at the Red Fort in Old Delhi. Flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programs are held in the state capitals and often involve many schools and organizations. In the cities around the country the National flag is hoisted by politicians in their respective constituencies. In various private organizations the flag hoisting is carried out by a senior official of that organization.
Families and friends get together for lunch or dinner, or for an outing. Housing colonies, cultural centres, clubs and societies hold entertainment programmes and competitions, usually based on the Independence Day theme. Schools and colleges around the country organize flag hoisting ceremonies and various cultural events within their premises, where younger children in costume do impersonations of their favourite characters of the Independence era.
Broadcast, print and online media may have special contests, programmes, and articles to celebrate the day. Most national and regional television channels screen old and new film classics with patriotic themes on Independence Day.
India Gate, Delhi, is the center of attraction and a nice place to visit in the evening of Independence Day, as the monument is attractively illuminated.
Happy Independence day to all!
