by Dr Elizabeth Menon

Created on: August 16, 2008   Last Updated: July 09, 2009

"At the Stroke of the Midnight Hour...": Celebration of India's Independence

August 14, 1947: Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, announced the birth of a new nation, born after more than a century of colonial rule, with these golden words - "At the Stroke of the Midnight Hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom... Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?" The rationalist in India's best-loved Prime Minister was evident in his speech. 'The great day' that millions of people have been dreaming about for years, at last materialised - a day of rapturous jubilation! Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru worked together on the values that should shape this new great nation. However, the signing of the Constitution of India did not take place till January 26,1950; much has happened to this magnificent country since the independence, both good and bad. Gandhiji, the apostle of non-violence and leader of freedom movement, was against the partition but even he was unable to stop the greatest forced migration of Hindus and Muslims that followed. A Hindu extremist shot and killed Gandhiji only six months after the Independence, Indira Gandhi, the second woman in the world to become the Prime Minister of a nation and who served as Prime Minister for 16 years, was assassinated in 1984; her son, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was also killed by terrorist in 1991. And now, India has Pratibha Patil as its first Woman President at the Rashtrpathi Bhavan.

The nation proudly celebrated the 'Golden Jubilee of India's Independence' in 1997 and at the Stroke of the Midnight Hour on August 15 when the world was asleep, India woke up to two voices - Latha Mangeshkar singing 'Sare Jahan-se achcha' and Pundit Bhimsen Joshi, 'Vande Matharam'. However, the living legend 'Yesudas' with his enigmatic voice would have been the ideal choice to take the floor in the Central Hall of Parliament when the country celebrated its golden jubilee; he achieved 'National integration' through the medium of music, bringing people together despite deep rooted barriers of caste, zones, and languages, which makes him more suited than most, to lift the nation's spirit to celestial heights on the glorious occasion - no disrespect to Pundit Joshi or Latha Mangeshkar is intended as they both are great singers.

India has been moving forward steadily since independence. The green revolution of the 1960s

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