Independence Day
Independence Day
India is a Unity in Diversity. All those who seem to have dreams of gaining freedom and prosperity by breaking away from India should look at the two countries in our neighbourhood: Pakistan and Bangladesh. Both were part of India before August 15 1947. Later, the two broke away from one another. Today, one of these two countries is trying to get a foothold, but the other is sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire.
Look at the neighbouring countries again and see if Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Kampuchia (Kambodia), Laos, etc., are better than India's.
Why is India's independence day on August 15?
Indian Independence Day was decided by the last Viceroy and first Governor-General of India - Louis Mountbatten. He Chose August 15 since it was the same day that Japan surrendered in 1945 at the end of World War II. (Mountainbatten was a naval officer before his Indian post and was the supreme commander of allied forces in South East Asia). In the book "Freedom at Midnight", he shared that it was decided instinctively in a press conference. (Actually, this hasty decision left very little time for preparation of freedom and partition - leading to sad violence and deaths during Indian partition).
Another interesting fact on why India celebrated Independence at Midnight rather than in the morning. When August 15 was announced, astrologers around India raised a hue and cried that August 15 was not an auspicious day. So Indian Leaders arranged a compromise when Independence day was celebrated at Midnight - since a day under Hindu customs begins only after sunrise.
What is the importance of independence day in our life?
After years of struggle, India gained freedom on August 15, 1947. It ceased to be a colonial nation on this day, gaining complete independence from britain who had controlled it for years. Every Indian person living in India and abroad recognises the significance of this day.
India celebrate 72 years of independence on August 15, 2019. As a result, this year commemorates the country's 74th Independence Day.While it is a joyous annual event and a national holiday in which people raise the national flag, wear tricolour colours, and participate in a variety of games and cultural events, it also coincides with the country's Partition, which brings back painful memories for many national leaders and ordinary citizens, given that India was divided on communal lines, much to the dismay of many national leaders and ordinary citizens.
When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's prime Minister, raised the national flag at the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in New Delhi on August 15, 1947, the Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi fasted in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He is said to have spent his time discreetly opposing the country's sectarian animosity by praying, fasting, spinning, and spinning.
How we celebrate Independence Day in school?
I had stopped thinking about my school in the past couple of years, but once I read this question, all I can think about is school.
My most fond memories about everything is from my childhood, and I believe so is the case for most of us. Independence Days, for me, were a school event. Because we had a patriotic, no-nonsense principal who thought being absent from the school's Independence Day celebrations was equivalent to treason.
And God bless him for that. I hated coming early morning to school on holiday, but now, years later, I realize those days have taught me a lot about our nation's history and freedom struggle.
The routine every year was the same. An early morning assembly, followed by a short stump speech by the principal in which he
This was the day all the teachers turned up in something white. The lady teachers always found a tri-coloured dupatta which they would wear over their white coloured salwar. The male teachers would turn up in a white kurta-pyjama, but not to be left behind, they would wear a saffron tilak on their forehead. Green? Well, you can't have everything!
This was also the day all the teachers and students worked on a different interaction level. For one day, they seemed to forget the difference between the asshole student who never did his homework and the upright girl who always stood first in class.
Each class had to send up one of their best to deliver a two-minute speech on Independence Day, which was repeated repeatedly each year. "India's diversity… India's harmony Gandhiji, Nehru, Bose and Patel a cameo reference to Bhagat Singh here and there. I love my country Best country in the world. We should serve our country, love our country, and I love my country… Thank you" *applause*
Then we'd be given the smallest packet of Parle-G biscuits and a glass of milk for having baked ourselves 2 hours in the sun (in the school hall, if it rained). During that time, at least five kids who hadn't had breakfast would collapse, and then the principal would go off on a tangent about physical health and the lack of it in "today's generation". I could write those speeches for friends, but I was not a speaker with my disorganized speech syndrome.
On 2015 Independence day, we invited a chief guest. Who is the founder of a web design company in Trivandrum.
We'd then start for home, which was a 10-minute walk. Still, We would take at least an hour because we would fool around like street urchins, go to the nearby park and play around, dirty our uniform like in those detergent ads, some times fight because one asshole didn't believe he was out even if the plywood plank we had used as our make-shift stump was knocked five feet away from him.
Return home, and hear my mom complain two hours about the state of my uniform and the beggar-like, messy look on my face. Switch on the T.V and watch reruns of the Independence Day parade at Rajpath and listen to highlights of our ex-PM Manmohan Singh's speech at the Red Fort because it was always a rare wonder to hear him speak.
Dad would be home that day, and he would send us to the local Keralites Club (of which he was the President at the time) to take down the flag at 6 PM, a flag which the club had hoisted at 8 in the morning. Once, I lowered the flag and brought it home by wearing it like Superman's cape and got the tightest slap I ever received and a lecture in the ethics and protocol of handling the national flag, after which I always treated it like I would a new born baby.
I would go to sleep and wake up and run off to school excitedly because, boy, wasn't the principal going to manhandle those absent students and teachers!
Five months later, repeat the same thing for Republic Day.
My most fond memories about everything is from my childhood, and I believe so is the case for most of us. Independence Days, for me, were a school event. Because we had a patriotic, no-nonsense principal who thought being absent from the school's Independence Day celebrations was equivalent to treason.
And God bless him for that. I hated coming early morning to school on holiday, but now, years later, I realize those days have taught me a lot about our nation's history and freedom struggle.
The routine every year was the same. An early morning assembly, followed by a short stump speech by the principal in which he
- Mentioned the same leaders and events leading up to Independence.
- Criticized students who were absent that day.
- Promised to spank their ass when they come the next day.
- Criticized teachers who were absent that day.
- Asked the headmistress to "send those teachers to my office first thing tomorrow morning."
This was the day all the teachers turned up in something white. The lady teachers always found a tri-coloured dupatta which they would wear over their white coloured salwar. The male teachers would turn up in a white kurta-pyjama, but not to be left behind, they would wear a saffron tilak on their forehead. Green? Well, you can't have everything!
This was also the day all the teachers and students worked on a different interaction level. For one day, they seemed to forget the difference between the asshole student who never did his homework and the upright girl who always stood first in class.
Each class had to send up one of their best to deliver a two-minute speech on Independence Day, which was repeated repeatedly each year. "India's diversity… India's harmony Gandhiji, Nehru, Bose and Patel a cameo reference to Bhagat Singh here and there. I love my country Best country in the world. We should serve our country, love our country, and I love my country… Thank you" *applause*
Then we'd be given the smallest packet of Parle-G biscuits and a glass of milk for having baked ourselves 2 hours in the sun (in the school hall, if it rained). During that time, at least five kids who hadn't had breakfast would collapse, and then the principal would go off on a tangent about physical health and the lack of it in "today's generation". I could write those speeches for friends, but I was not a speaker with my disorganized speech syndrome.
On 2015 Independence day, we invited a chief guest. Who is the founder of a web design company in Trivandrum.
We'd then start for home, which was a 10-minute walk. Still, We would take at least an hour because we would fool around like street urchins, go to the nearby park and play around, dirty our uniform like in those detergent ads, some times fight because one asshole didn't believe he was out even if the plywood plank we had used as our make-shift stump was knocked five feet away from him.
Return home, and hear my mom complain two hours about the state of my uniform and the beggar-like, messy look on my face. Switch on the T.V and watch reruns of the Independence Day parade at Rajpath and listen to highlights of our ex-PM Manmohan Singh's speech at the Red Fort because it was always a rare wonder to hear him speak.
Dad would be home that day, and he would send us to the local Keralites Club (of which he was the President at the time) to take down the flag at 6 PM, a flag which the club had hoisted at 8 in the morning. Once, I lowered the flag and brought it home by wearing it like Superman's cape and got the tightest slap I ever received and a lecture in the ethics and protocol of handling the national flag, after which I always treated it like I would a new born baby.
I would go to sleep and wake up and run off to school excitedly because, boy, wasn't the principal going to manhandle those absent students and teachers!
Five months later, repeat the same thing for Republic Day.
Comments
Post a Comment