Jinnah's escape, Gandhi's struggle, Nehru's tryst: The last 24 hours of British Raj

The midnight that changed a nation: Inside the first hours of Independence

Even as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ushered India into Independent era with the 'tryst with destiny' speech, Mahatma Gandhi camped in Bengal to keep the peace and Pakistan prepared to wage a war for Jammu and Kashmir. Here is how the first few hours of India's Independence played out.

Jinnah's escape, Gandhi's struggle, Nehru's tryst: The last 24 hours of British Raj

On August 14, 1947, tension, hope, and tragedy swirled, as the countdown to the end of the British Raj began.

In radio broadcast on Aug 15, 1947, Nehru described himself as Pradhan Sewak of people: Ramesh

New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) On the 79th Independence Day, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh recalled how India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a broadcast over All India Radio, which he began by describing himself as the "Pradhan Sewak of the Indian people".He recalled that Nehru actually spoke from the Red Fort for the first time on August 16, 1947, as August 15 was packed with various programmes."At the midnight hour of August 14, 1947, t…

What Did Nehru Really Say at Midnight on August 15? The Speech That Marked India’s First Step Into Freedom

At the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947, India’s long night of colonial rule came to an end. Nearly 200 years under British dominion had passed, and now, as the world slept, India awoke to freedom. The air in Delhi was thick with emotion, relief, pride, sorrow, and hope intermingled. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, stepped onto the balcony of the Red Fort to address the nation in a speech that would echo thro…