“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance…. We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.”

Jawaharlal Nehru
(Speech on Indian Independence Day, 1947)

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Independence Day of India is celebrated on Fifteen of August (15/8/47) to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in attendance. The main event takes place in Delhi, the capital city of India, where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. The Prime Minister also pays his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle.

Lord Canning (1856 – 1862):

• The last Governor General and the first Viceroy.
• Mutiny took place in his time.
• On Nov, 1858, the rule passed on to the crown.
• Withdrew Doctrine of Lapse.
• The Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were established in 1857.
• Indian Councils Act was passed in 1861.

Lord Elgin (1862 – 1863)
Lord Lawrence (1864 – 1869):

• Telegraphic communication was opened with Europe.
• High Courts were established at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865.
• Expanded canal works and railways.
• Created the Indian Forest department.

Lord Mayo (1869 – 1872):

• Started the process of financial decentralization in India.
• Established the Rajkot college at Kathiarwar and Mayo College at Ajmer for the Indian princes.
• For the first time in Indian history, a census was held in 1871.
• Organised the Statistical Survey of India.
• Was the only Viceroy to be murdered in office by a Pathan convict in the Andamans in 1872.

Lord Northbrook (1872 – 1876):
Lord Lytton (1876 – 1880):

• Known as the Viceroy to reverse characters.
• Organised the Grand ‘Delhi Durbar’ in 1877 to decorate Queen Victoria with the title of ‘Kaiser – I – Hind’.
• Arms Act(1878) made it mandatory for Indians to acquire license for arms.
• Passed the infamous Vernacular Press Act (1878).

Lord Ripon (1880 – 1884):

• Liberal person, who sympathized with Indians.
• Repeated the Vernacular Press Act (1882)
• Passed the local self – government Act (1882)
• Took steps to improve primary & secondary education (on William Hunter Commission’s recommendations).
• The I Factory Act, 1881, aimed at prohibiting child labour.
• Passed the libert Bill (1883) which enabled Indian district magistrates to try European criminals. But this was withdrawn later.

Lord Dufferin (1884 – 1888):

• Indian National Congress was formed during his tenure.

Lord Lansdowne (1888 – 1894):

• II Factory Act (1891) granted a weekly holiday and stipulated working hours for women and children, although it failed to address concerns such as work hours for men.
• Categorization of Civil Services into Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate.
• Indian Council Act of 1892 was passed.
• Appointment of Durand Commission to define the line between British India and Afghanistan.

Lord Elgin II (1894 – 1899):

• Great famine of 1896 – 1897. Lyall Commission was appointed.

Lord Curzon (1899 – 1905):

• Passed the Indian Universities Act (1904) in which official control over the Universities was increased.
• Partitioned Bengal (October 16, 1905) into two provinces 1, Bengal (proper), 2.East Bengal & Assam.
• Appointed a Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer to enquire into the police administration of every province.
• The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897 – 98 led him to create the North Western Frontier Province(NWFP).
• Passed the Ancient Monuments Protection Act (1904), to restore India’s cultural heritage. Thus the Archaeological Survey of India was established.
• Passed the Indian Coinage and Paper Currency Act (1899) and put India on a gold standard.
• Extended railways to a great extent.

Lord Minto (1905 – 1910):

• There was great political unrest in India. Various acts were passed to curb the revolutionary activities. Extremists like Lala Laipat Rai and Ajit Singh (in May, 1907) and Bal Gangadhar Tilak (in July, 1908) were sent to Mandalay jail in Burma.
• The Indian Council Act of 1909 or the Morley – Minto Reforms was passed.

Lord Hardinge (1910 – 1916):

• Held a durbar in dec, 1911 to celebrate the coronation of King George V.
• Partition of Bengal was cancelled (1911), capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi (1911).
• A bomb was thrown at him; but he escaped unhurt (Dec 23, 1912).
• Gandhiji came back to India from S.Africa (1915).
• Annie Besant announced the Home Rule Movement.

Lord Chelmsford (1916 – 1921):

• August Declaration of 1917, whereby control over the Indian government would be gradually transferred to the Indian people.
• The government of India Act in 1919 (Montague – Chelmsford reforms) was passed.
• Rowlatt Act of 1919; Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919).
• Non – Cooperation Movement.
• An Indian Sir S.P.Sinha was appointed the Governor of Bengal.
• A Women’s university was founded at Poona in 1916.
• Saddler Commission was appointed in 1917 to envisage new educational policy.

Lord Reading (1921 – 1926):

• Rowlatt act was repeated along with the Press act of 1910.
• Suppressed non-cooperation movement.
• Prince of Wales visited India in Nov.1921.
• Moplah rebellion (1921) took place in Kerala.
• Ahmedabad session of 1921.
• Formation of Swaraj Party.
• Vishwabharati University started functioning in 1922.
• Communist part was founded in 1921 by M.N.Roy.
• Kakory Train Robbery on Aug 9, 1925.
• Communal riots of 1923 – 25 in Multan, Amritsar, Delhi, etc.
• Swami Shraddhanand, a great nationalist and a leader of the Arya Samajists, was murdered in communal orgy.

Lord Irwin (1926 – 1931):

• Simon Commission visited India in 1928.
• Congress passed the Indian Resolution in 1929.
• Dandi March (Mar 12, 1930).
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).
• First Round Table Conference held in England in 1930.
• Gandhi – Irwin Pact (Mar 5, 1931) was signed and Civil Disobediance Movement was withdrawn.
• Martydorm of Jatin Das after 64 days hunger strike (1929).

Lord Willington (1931 – 1936):

• Second Round Table conference in London in 1931.
• On his return Gandhiji was again arrested and Civil Disobedience Movement was resumed in Jan 1932.
• Communal Awards (Aug 16, 1932) assigned seats to different religious communities. Gandhiji went on a epic fast in protest against this division.
• Third Round Table conference in 1932.
• Poona Pact was signed.
• Government of India Act (1935) was passed.

Lord Linlithgow (1936 – 1944):

• Govt. of India Act enforced in the provinces. Congress ministries formed in 8 out of 11 provinces. They remained in power for about 2 years till Oct 1939, when they gave up offices on the issue of India having been dragged into the II World War. The Muslim League observed the days as ‘Deliverance Say’ (22 December)
• Churchill became the British PM in May, 1940. He declared that the Atlantic Charter (issued jointly by the UK and US, stating to give sovereign rights to those who have been forcibly deprived of them) does not apply to India.
• Outbreak of World War II in 1939.
• Cripps Mission in 1942.
• Quit India Movement (August 8, 1942).

Lord Wavell (1944 – 1947):

• Arranged the Shimla Conference on June 25, 1945 with Indian National Congress and Muslim League; failed.
• Cabinet Mission Plan (May 16, 1946).
• Elections to the constituent assembly were held and an Interim Govt. was appointed under Nehru.
• First meeting of the constituent assembly was held on Dec. 9, 1946.

Lord Mountbatten (Mar.1947 – Aug.1947):

• Last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor General of free India.
• Partition of India decided by the June 3 Plan.
• Indian Independence Act passed by the British parliament on July 4, 1947, by which India became independent on August 15, 1947.
• Retried in June 1948 and was succeeded by C.Rajagopalachari (the first and the last Indian Governor General of free India).

Subhash Chandra Boss
Bose, Subhash Chandra : better known as Netaji of Azad Hind Fauj
(Indian National Army,INA), was a powerful nationalist
leader and was also once elected President of the Indian National
Congress. He gained much prominence for organising INA during
world war II.
In his speech, while inaugurating the Azad Hind Fauj in Singapore, he
gave a stirring call to his soldiers &endash; “Give me blood and I shall
give you freeedom”.
Rightly called the Beacon of light of Asia, he was the first to address
Mahatma Gandhi as Father of the Nation.
In a message to Gandhiji, in a broadcast from Azad Hind Radio, Ran-
goon, on July 8, 1944, he said&endash; “Father of our Nation! In this
holy war of India’s liberation, we ask you for your blessings and good
wishes”.
Mahatma Gandhi described him as Patriot of Patriots
The ashes of Subhash Chandra Bose are kept in Renkoji temple in
Tokyo.

Independence of India League was founded by the radical wing of
the Congress Party in opposition to the Home Rule Movement.
India State Peoples Conference was formed in 1927.

Indigo disturbances in Bengal: took place in 1859 and 1860 immedi-
ately after the revolt of 1857 between European indigo planters and
the Bengal peasants. The prevailing system often compelled the Ben-
gal peasant to grow indigo against both his will and his interests.

Home Rule League: was formed in 1915 by Mrs Annie Besant. Lok-
manya Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the movement in 1916.
In the Lucknow session of the Congress in 1916, the Home Rule Lea-
guers were able to demonstrate their political strength.
Home Rule Society : popularly called India House, was established
in London in 1905 by Shyamji Krishna Varma to promote the cause
of Indian independence.
India House was a centre for study, propaganda, training and political
action. A monthly journal&endash;The Indian Sociologist, was also
issued, and fellowships were also awarded.
The centre attracted many young men residing at different universi-
ties in England&endash;two of whom namely, Har Dayal and Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar, were prominent. Another youth member of the
centre was Madan Lal Dhingra.

Indian Mutiny (Revolution) 1857 : or the first War of Indian Independ-
ence started from Meerut on May 16, 1857. Its main cause was sup-
ply of greased cartriges to Indian soldiers which contained fat of cows
and pigs.The Sikhs supported the British in this revolt.

Indian Association: was founded in 1878 by Surindra Nath Banerjea,
joined by his friends Anand Mohan Bose (a barrister), Sibunath Sastri
(a Brahmo leader), and Krishna Mohan Banerji.
Indian Councils Act, 1861: By this Act, the ‘portfolio’ system was in-
troduced whereby members were placed in charge of specific depart-
ments instead of sitting as a board of consultants to discuss each
question on its merits.