Independence Day 2024: Ever wondered why August 15 was chosen as India's Independence Day?
India is celebrating the country's 78th Independence Day on Thursday, with a festive mood across the nation. But did you know that August 15 was not supposed to be the day that India became independent from nearly two centuries of British rule?
Independence for India by June 30, 1948
Yes, that is right! The original plan for India's independence from the British was by June 30, 1948. But it was preponed by 14 months, in what can be described as an act of desperation.
It all began with the end of World War II, which drained the resources of Britain, like most other countries, forcing it to let go of its colonies in Asia and Africa.
On February 20, 1947, the then-British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that Britain would grant full self-governance to India by June 1948.
'There would be no power left to transfer'
While no date was set for the transfer of power to Indians, Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, was tasked to draw out a plan.
However, due to rising tensions between the Congress and the Muslim League, Mountbatten feared that things could go out of control if the transfer of power was not expedited.
According to C. Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of India, if Mountbatten had waited until then, there might not have been any power left to transfer.
Why Mountbatten chose August 15
So it was decided that the British would leave the Indian subcontinent before the June 30, 1948 deadline. This left Mountbatten to come up with another day for the transfer of power, and he chose August 15.
That is because the date had a historic and personal significance for Mountbatten.
Two years ago, on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allied Powers led by Britain in World War II, in which Mountbatten played a key role. Thus the day was chosen, and with the partition of the subcontinent, Pakistan was granted independence on August 14, and India became independent on August 15.
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