“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”
- Jawaharlal Nehru
Every year, on 15th August, the people of India celebrate its Independence Day. It is celebrated to remind ourselves the value of freedom our ancestors gained for us from the British. This day also reminds us of the struggles by the freedom fighters who worked tirelessly to win us freedom. On this day, we pay homage to all the freedom fighters who participated in the freedom struggle selflessly.
India had been under the rule of British for about 200 years. During the British colonisation, the life of every Indian was difficult. Indians were treated like slaves and had no freedom to speak against them. Indian rulers were simply puppets in the hands of British officers. Several freedom fighters endured cruelty in British prisons. Many farmers were starving as they couldn't cultivate requiredcrops and were forced to pay substantial land taxes.
Over years, India has made progress in different sectors like education, arts, sports, science & technology, agriculture, economics, etc, India has made progress in agriculture since its independence in 1947. During the fifty years before Independence, agriculture in India grew at the speed of about 1 percent every year. But during the post-independence era, the agricultural sector has grown at the speed of about 2.6 percent every year. India is the second largest producer of tea in the world.
The introduction of high-yielding variety of seeds from the mid 1960s and therefore the increased use of chemical fertilisers characterised what came to be referred to as the ‘green revolution’. Wheat production increased by nearly 150 per cent between the mid 1960s and mid 1970s and also the country became self-sufficient in grain production by the top of the 1970s.
In terms of education, India has managed to achieve its education system at par with the world standard. By fitting schools in rural areas, offering free schooling for the underprivileged and various other means, India has seen a dramatic increase in its literacy rate of 12.2% to a whopping 74.04% post- independence.
Independence Day triggers a feeling of patriotism among people. It unites the people and keeps them close. May a sense of unity continue to live among the people of India.