Essay on Independence Day

Independence Day is celebrated on 15 August every year. On this day in 1947, India became free after almost two hundred years of British rule. Freedom did not come easily. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh, and countless ordinary men and women, struggled and suffered for it. Every year the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort in Delhi and speaks to the nation. In schools, the flag is hoisted, the national anthem is sung, and students give speeches, sing patriotic songs and take part in programmes. Independence Day reminds us that freedom is precious. It is our duty to protect it by being honest, hard-working and united.

Independence Day is the most important national day of India. It is celebrated on 15 August, the day in 1947 when India became a free nation. On that day the long rule of the British came to an end and Indians got the right to run their own country.

The story of our freedom is long. The British came to India as traders and slowly became its rulers. Indians were not treated as equals in their own land. The people rose against this many times, from the revolt of 1857 to the great movements led by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji showed the path of truth and non-violence. Leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Rani Lakshmibai and Sarojini Naidu inspired the nation in their own ways. Thousands of unnamed people went to jail, faced lathis and bullets, and gave up their lives.

At midnight on 15 August 1947, India finally became free, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister. Since then, every year on this day the Prime Minister hoists the tricolour at the Red Fort in Delhi. The national anthem is sung and the Prime Minister addresses the country.

The day is a holiday, but schools and offices hold a flag hoisting ceremony in the morning. In my school, the principal hoists the flag and we all sing "Jana Gana Mana". Students deliver speeches, sing patriotic songs and perform dances and short plays about the freedom struggle. Sweets are given to everyone. In many towns, people fly kites, and the sky is full of colour.

Independence Day is not only a day of celebration. It is a day to ask ourselves what we are doing with our freedom. The freedom fighters did their part. Our part is to study well, respect every citizen, follow the law, keep our surroundings clean and stay united. A country stays free only when its people are responsible.