AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV

Riya Deshpande, TY BAJMC

On August 15, 1947, the Indian Independence Act was commenced. The Act was subsequently repealed in Article 395 of the Indian Constitution but was not abolished in the United Kingdom. 

You may have seen the movie 'Gandhi' but you may not know the real story. Indian Independence Day, on August 15, reminds us of the long, hard-fought battle for liberation against British domination championed by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Despite the expansive British Empire in which it was said, "the sun never sets," ragtag groups of liberation fighters and brilliant strategists soundly defeated the British with strong, tactical mobilizing and the persistence of centuries of oppression. So join in celebrating what Nehru called India's "Tryst with Destiny."

On August 15, 1947, the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, lifted the Indian Flag above the Lahori Gate in Delhi. In some ways, this became a custom, and on each subsequent Indian Independence Day, the sitting Prime Minister raised the country's Flag and gave the nation an address.

Indian Independence Day 2021 is observed throughout India with parades, flag hoisting events, and cultural setups. British rule over India ended with the powers transferred to the newly independent entities Pakistan and India. Lord Mountbatten became the first governor-general of the new Dominion of India, and Jawaharlal Nehru became the first prime minister of Independent India. The Constituent Assembly set up in 1946 became the Parliament of the Indian Dominion.

This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India, who have been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its evolutionary journey and hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Modi's vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav embodies all that is progressive about India's socio-cultural, political, and economic identity. The official journey of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' commences on March 12, 2021, which starts a 75-week countdown to our 75th anniversary of Independence and will end post a year on August 15, 2023.

The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an intensive, country-wide campaign that will focus on citizen participation, to be converted into a 'Janandolan,' where small changes at the local level will add up to significant national gains.

'Har Ghar Tiranga' is a campaign under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring the Tiranga home and to hoist it to mark the 75th year of India's Independence. Our relationship with the Flag has always been more formal and institutional than personal. Bringing the flag home collectively as a nation in the 75th year of Independence thus becomes symbolic of an emotional connection to the Tiranga and an embodiment of our commitment to nation-building. The idea behind the initiative is to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the people's hearts and promote awareness about the Indian National Flag.

"Like the history of the freedom movement, the journey of 75 years after Independence reflects the hard work, innovation, and enterprise of ordinary Indians. Whether in the country or abroad, we Indians have proved ourselves through hard work. We are proud of our Constitution. We are proud of our democratic traditions. The mother of democracy, India is still moving forward by strengthening democracy. India, rich in knowledge and science, is leaving its mark from Mars to the moon." - Honorable Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.