Concept of Independence

The Second World war ended in 1945. The British forces experienced a huge setback in the battlegrounds of the western countries. The financial standpoint of the country barely allowed them to continue their administrative prowess in India. Therefore, Lord Clement Atlee, the then British Prime Minister decided to let go of the Indian territories for his good. He agreed with the Indian leaders’ interests to draft their independent constitution. To extend hands of help in this a joint commission was sent to India in 1946 under the leadership of Sir Cripps, Patrick Lawrence, and A.V. Alexander. This cabinet mission scrutinized the preliminary draft and suggested recommendations that are likely to form an independent India. As per the provisions deduced by the Cabinet Mission, elections were organized which allowed Congress to establish an interim governmental administration after they successfully conquered 205 Parliamentary seats. The All India Muslim League also gained prominence in 73 distinct provinces across the country. Plans of Partition were designed under the guidance of Lord Mountbatten before the realization of independent India that occurred on 15th August 1947. Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of independent India. Ultimately, a formulation was introduced by Lord Mountbatten on 3rd June 1947 that was intended to resolve the turbulence in the Indian political field. The official approval of the plan proposed by Lord Mountbatten finally arrived through the provisions of the India Independence Act. The countrymen enjoyed the first Indian Independence Day at midnight on 15th August 1947. 

India Independence Act of 1947

The provisions of the India Independence Act clearly defined the following regulations:

• Undivided India is now to be disintegrated into separate nations – the Republic of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. This decision was made keeping into account the communal interests and fundamental rights of the minority classes who were distributed among the Hindu populated provinces of India
• The administrative authority is to be fully handed over to India and Pakistan by the British Parliament. This is going to include all the major administrative roles starting from defense, foreign relations, criminal justice, etc. Previously the state legislative assemblies had already been transferred to the Indians by the British Government
• Radcliff was appointed to draw the political boundary that would separate India and Pakistan. He divided both the Bengal and Punjab provinces to create East and West Pakistan respectively. These newly formed countries would specifically work towards safeguarding the interests of the Muslim population

After independence Rajendra Prasad was appointed as the first Indian President while in Pakistan we witnessed the rise of Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the first Governor-General of the Dominion of Pakistan.

Significance of the Indian Independence Day

India finally gained freedom from the imperial domination of the British East India Company after being oppressed for two centuries. The long background of rebellion traced as early as 1857 from the Sepoy Mutiny. Finally the intervention of Congress and the Muslim League along with the military atrocities posed by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose finally forced the British colonial empire to take their step back from this country. The involvement of the British defense in the Second World War had a catalyzing effect on the Indian independence movement. Indian Independence Day is of immense importance as it teaches all the subsequent generations of Indians about the brave legacy of their ancestors and how both the Hindu and Muslim communities fought together by ignoring their individual cultural and political interests.

Conclusion

The idea of freedom got deeply ingrained in the nerves of all the Indians, particularly after the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa back in 1915. Concepts of patriotism, unity, and nationalism were not new to the Indians. Still, whatever differences existed among the various classes were gradually eradicated by the Congress Party of India. The urge of setting up an independent constitution was made clear to the British Imperial Government with the drafted provisions for self-government. Gandhiji strictly adhered to his non-cooperation movement which gradually destabilized the economic standpoint of the British in India. When such efforts failed to hail independence, many rigid forms of protests arose in the form of the Quit India Movement (1942). The British Prime Minister Clement Atlee finally declared India and Pakistan as two independent nations and sent a cabinet to assist in the formation of the constitution.