CHENNAI : A six-foot-tall man, wearing a white khadi kurta, walked the streets of T Nagar carrying a three-year-old on his shoulders. This was during the time Mahatma Gandhi was in the city for a meeting with fellow freedom fighter. The said three-year-old is my grandfather who is 82 years now. “I do not remember much in detail but I know my father protected me and navigated me through the crowd that day to meet Gandhi. Similar was on the day of Independence when the people of my locality came to the street holding the flag high and chanting ‘Bharat ab azaad hain’,” my grandfather answered when I asked him about Indian Independence.
While he only has blurred memories of the days that led to our independence and the following weeks, citizens who remember that time, beam with pride and achievement. Irrespective of the presence during that period, the mutual feeling we Indians share is of joy and hope for a new light. As we celebrate the 78th Independence Day, CE reaches out to people who were present then to share their understanding of freedom and the events that occurred on August 15, 1947.
Prabhakaran M, ENT surgeon
I was nine years old and was in 4th standard when India attained Independence. I resided in Gudiyatham, near Vellore. The British believed that the Indians were under them. This mindset of obedience is seen in households, where the youngest should listen to elders and follow their orders without questioning. They put us down so that we never resort to revolution. But brave men and women fought for our freedom such as Tiruppur Kumaran — who with a flag, ran on the road, and then he was shot dead — and Bharathiar who said ‘Suthananthiram adaindhe theervom’ (Attaining freedom is the end).
Until the Quit India Movement in 1942, the terms ‘freedom’ and ‘independence’ did not reach the villages. With this movement, the preparation for Indian Independence took full swing. I remember the kids were not involved in the discussions. Until 1945, I did not understand what freedom was. Whenever I saw someone talking about it, I saw the British officers beating them up with a cane. But I remember that day of independence — in the morning, at home, we hoisted a flag by tying a stick to our gate.
At school, we pinned the national flag to our shirts, held the flag high and went on a procession. Even after obtaining independence, we shouted ‘Suthananthiram adaindhe theervom’ on the road. Following this, we joined the crowd at Gowndanya Mahanadhi, a tributary of the Palar River. People gathered there and played patriotic songs on the radio. For the next few years, we celebrated the day as we celebrated Pongal or Diwali.
Kamala Iyer, social worker
I was twelve years old in 1947. My father asked us to stay awake and listen to the All India Radio that night. As soon as independence was announced on the radio at midnight, speeches of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, and Rajendra Prasad were played. People came to the streets to share happiness and I sang Mahakavi Bharathiyar’s song ‘Aaduvome Pallu Paaduvome’. We were restricted from doing many things.
Being a girl and stepping out was a difficult task because the English kara (English men) would molest a child in front of everyone and we did not have the power over them to stop. We were not allowed to travel in first class because Indians were considered slaves. Having seen and experienced horrific events, I was jumping with joy as our country was no longer under English rule. We hoisted our national flag the next morning. The following days were easy because we could breathe, walk and laugh freely.
Padma Subrahmanyam, dancer
I was just about four years old in 1947. My mother had composed a nursery rhyme for me — ‘Pachchai vellai sivappu varna kodi namakku thanthar thatha’ (a green, white, and saffron flag was given to us by Gandhi). I sang that in school also. My father made a film called ‘Geeta Gandhi’, released in 1948, in which I had a role. I sang this song live. Elders who visited my home used to bring stamp-size flags, and my younger brother and I used to run for that.
We felt so proud to pin it on our dresses. We always looked for Independence Day as my father used to take us around the entire city that used to be lit up so beautifully. My father was a Congressman, so I grew up with deiva bakthi (devotion to god) and desa bakthi (devotion to the country). It is a day to remember and to be proud of.
MK Sanoo, writer and critic
I was a college student when India declared its independence. Even in my hometown of Alappuzha, which was on the outskirts, the celebrations were boundless. Flags and decorations adorned every corner. At that time, radios were not yet common, so my friends and I walked several miles to where the All India Radio broadcast was being played, eager to hear the historic announcement.
The broadcast began with the songs of Dileep Kumar Roy, followed by the news of India’s independence. We listened intently as Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech was broadcast. I vividly remember the emotion in the air. Each of us felt a deep sense of joy and pride. It was a moment of hopeful anticipation for the new India — a new dawn. Though discussions about India’s independence had been ongoing, we were not prepared for how soon it would become a reality.
The partition, too was something we never expected. Being someone who reads a lot, I recall the newspapers that arrived on the day of India’s independence. Every publication carried the historic news, and the Indian flag was prominently featured on each front page. Eminent writers wrote expressing high praise for the country and its promising future. Poet Changampuzha’s words still hold prominence, have we achieved freedom in every sense?
Sreekumaran Thampi, lyricist, music director, director, producer, and screenwriter
I was born in 1940. By 1947, when India gained independence, I was in the 4th grade. The younger generation today may find it hard to grasp what life was like in Kerala during that time. Back then, the matrilineal system, known as Marumakkathayam, was prevalent here. I was born and raised in my ‘mother’s house’. Moreover, my parents’ marriage was far from harmonious. However, my father insisted that we move to his house for a while. They, too, followed the matrilineal system, making us feel like uninvited guests there. As a seven-year-old, I was unaware of much, except for the fact that my mother had no money.
During this time, Independence Day came and went. So, when India gained freedom, I was actually experiencing three months of slavery at my father’s house. One day at school, the teacher announced, ‘Tomorrow is Independence Day, and for the first time, all the students will receive the tricolour flag. But to get one, you need to bring one ana. Knowing that my mother did not have any money, I didn’t even bother asking her.
On what should have been my first Independence Day celebration, I was punished for not bringing that six paisa, and the teacher made me stand outside. I spent the entire day on the school veranda. In my autobiography, I wrote about this incident: ‘I learned that freedom has a price, and that price can bring sorrow.’ While everyone else was rejoicing, savouring their newfound freedom, I was left feeling isolated, my own freedom denied. That day, a thought occurred to me: ‘This freedom they speak of, is it something you only get when you can pay for it? It doesn’t come freely, does it?’ Later in life, I realised how true that was. Freedom is indeed very costly.”
Kollakkayil Devaki Amma, recipient of the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award and the Nari Shakti Puraskar
I was just twelve years old when India got its independence. At that time, the concept of freedom felt strange and unfamiliar. These terms were new, particularly for women whose lives were confined to homes that never gave her the idea of freedom. Well, freedom was something beyond our imagination. Though I didn’t fully grasp the significance of independence for India, I felt a deep sense of joy and pride.
My elder brother, who had participated in several protests and had even been imprisoned for the freedom movement, was one reason for my understanding of what freedom meant. On that day, I remember participating in a school march. We marched in a line, chanting ‘Bharat Maata Ki Jai’, and one student was even dressed as Bharat Maata. These are cherished memories from that historic day. If you ask me whether we have truly achieved freedom, I would say that conditions have certainly improved — people now have access to footwear, food, and roads. However, freedom is still an ongoing quest. Women today enjoy more freedom than in the past, but more progress is needed for true equality.
Inputs from Mahima Anna Jacob, and Parvan KB