- 15 August every year
- Free since 1947
- Flag hoisting at the Red Fort
- National holiday
Where it began
The road to freedom was long. Through the late 1800s and early 1900s, people from every region and faith joined a movement to govern themselves. Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and many others worked in different ways toward the same goal.
In 1929 the Indian National Congress called for Purna Swaraj, or complete self-rule, and asked people to mark 26 January 1930 as a day of independence. For the next years that January date was kept as a promise of freedom still to come.
In 1947 the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act. At midnight between 14 and 15 August, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, spoke to the Constituent Assembly in his famous speech known as Tryst with Destiny. The new nation woke to its first morning of freedom.
How it grew over time
1857
A large uprising against Company rule spreads across north and central India, and is often remembered as an early war of independence.
1885
The Indian National Congress is founded and becomes a main voice of the freedom movement.
1920s to 1940s
Gandhi leads mass movements of non-cooperation and peaceful protest, including the Salt March of 1930 and the Quit India call of 1942.
15 August 1947
India becomes independent. The next day Nehru raises the national flag at the Red Fort in Delhi.
Today
Each year the Prime Minister hoists the flag at the Red Fort and speaks to the nation, while towns and villages hold their own ceremonies.
How it is celebrated in different places
New Delhi
The main ceremony is held at the Red Fort at sunrise, with a guard of honour, a gun salute and the Prime Minister's address.
Delhi and north India
Kite flying fills the sky in the afternoon, with tricolour kites over rooftops and parks.
State capitals
Each Chief Minister raises the flag and watches a parade of police, school bands and cultural groups.
Schools and housing colonies
Children sing patriotic songs, take part in plays and share sweets after the flag is raised.
Indians abroad
Indian missions hold flag ceremonies, and cities such as New York, London and Dubai see India Day parades and fairs.
Independence Day (India) moments
Independence Day (India) today
The day begins early with flag hoisting in offices, schools, colonies and village squares. The national anthem is sung, sweets are shared and people wear the saffron, white and green of the flag.
Homes and buildings are lit up in the tricolour, families watch the Red Fort speech on television, and many take a quiet moment to remember the freedom fighters who made the day possible.
