Indian Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India attained independence following the independence movement noted for noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience led by Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
Independence coincided with the partition of India, in which
British India was divided into the Dominions of India and Pakistan; the
partition was accompanied by violent riots and mass casualties. On 15 August
1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the
Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi. On each
subsequent Independence Day, the incumbent Prime Minister customarily raises
the flag and gives an address to the nation. The entire event is broadcast
by Doordarshan, India's national broadcaster, and usually begins with
the shehnai music of Ustad Bismillah Khan. Independence Day is
observed throughout India with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural
events. It is a national holiday.
