By Priyanka Deshpande
CNBC-TV18.com
Published August 13, 2024
Ahead of the 78th Independence Day, here are some lesser known facts about India’s independence:
India did not have a national anthem at the time of its independence. Though Rabindranath Tagore composed ‘Jana Gana Mana’ in 1911, it was officially adopted as the national anthem on January 24, 1050.
Mahatma Gandhi did not participate in Indian Independence Day celebrations in Delhi. He was on a hunger strike in Kolkata, trying to put a stop to bloodshed brought on by partition.
I-DAY CELEBRATIONS
Lord Mountbatten had been given a mandate by the British Parliament to transfer the power by June 30, 1948. He advanced it to August 15, 1947 because it honored the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces.
LORD MOUNTBATTEN
Hindi was adopted as the official language of the Union of India on September 14, 1949. In 1950, the Constitution of India declared Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of India.
INDIA'S OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
The Indian Independence Bill gave August 15 as the date of independence for both India and Pakistan. Mountbatten chose August 14 as the date of the ceremony of power transfer to Pakistan because he wanted to attend the ceremonies in both the countries.
DATE OF INDEPENDENCE
The first unofficial flag of India was hoisted on August 7, 1906 at Parsee Bagan Square in Calcutta (now Kolkata). It comprised three horizontal strips of red, yellow, and green, with Vande Mataram written in the middle.
UNOFFICIAL FLAG OF INDIA
Vande Mataram, India’s national song, was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and was part of his novel Anandamath (1882). On January 24, 1950, it was adopted as India’s national song.
NATIONAL SONG