The India Gate, New Delhi
© Arnav Pratap Singh/iStock/Getty Image
Beneath the tricolour sky. Independence Day
Every 15 August, India celebrates its independence with flag-hoisting ceremonies, patriotic songs, skies dotted with colourful kites and visitors gathering around iconic places like India Gate in New Delhi, pictured here. Behind the festivities, however, are fascinating stories that make the day even more memorable.
India became independent on this day in 1947, yet it didn't have an official national anthem. Although Rabindranath Tagore wrote Jana Gana Mana in 1911, it was adopted only in January 1950. Another surprise? Mahatma Gandhi wasn't in New Delhi for the celebrations. While Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his famous 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, Gandhi was in Calcutta (now Kolkata), working to calm communal violence through peace efforts and fasting.
The date itself was chosen by Lord Mountbatten because it marked the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Even the tricolour evolved over time, with the original charkha later replaced by the Ashoka Chakra, now a lasting symbol of progress, unity and justice.
Related Images
At the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum for the ides of March
View of the Gateway of India during a storm
Adalaj, one of the finest of the Gujarati stepwells
The Rang Mahal palace inside the Red Fort, New Delhi
Artist Luke Jerram's installation 'Museum of the Moon' at Liverpool Cathedral, England
The Supertree Grove in Singapore's Gardens by the Bay
108 Shiva temple, Kalna, Bardhaman district, West Bengal
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas
Bing Today Images
