On 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raised the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi.

On each subsequent Independence Day, the incumbent Prime Minister customarily raises the flag and gives an address to the nation.

Through overwhelming military strength, the East India Company fought and annexed local kingdoms and established themselves as the dominant force by the 18th century.

In the decades following, civic society gradually emerged across India, most notably the Indian National Congress Party, formed in 1885.

The discontent of this period crystallised into nationwide non-violent movements of non-cooperation and civil disobedience, led by Mahatma Gandhi.

In 1946, the Labour government in Britain, its exchequer exhausted by the recently concluded World War II, realised that it had neither the mandate at home, the international support nor the reliability of native forces for continuing to maintain control in an increasingly restless India.

[18] The new viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, advanced the date for the transfer of power, believing the continuous contention between the Congress and the Muslim League might lead to a collapse of the interim government.

[19] He chose the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, 15 August, as the date of power transfer.

The Indian Independence Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo 6 c. 30) of the Parliament of the United Kingdom partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan (including what is now Bangladesh) with effect from 15 August 1947, and granted complete legislative authority upon the respective constituent assemblies of the new countries.

Millions of Muslim, Sikh and Hindu refugees trekked the newly drawn borders in the months surrounding independence.

[21] In Punjab, where the borders divided the Sikh regions in halves, massive bloodshed followed; in Bengal and Bihar, where Mahatma Gandhi's presence assuaged communal tempers, the violence was mitigated.

[22] While the entire nation was celebrating the Independence Day, Gandhi stayed in Calcutta in an attempt to stem the carnage.

Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially.

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.

Nehru assumed office as the first prime minister, and the viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, continued as its first governor general.

On 15 August, the Prime Minister hoists the Indian flag on the ramparts of the historical site of Red Fort in Delhi.

[3] In his speech, the Prime Minister highlights the past year's achievements, raises important issues and calls for further development.

[45][46][47] Terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jaish-e-Mohammed have issued threats, and have carried out attacks around Independence Day.

[49][50] In the anticipation of terrorist attacks, particularly from militants, security measures are intensified, especially in major cities such as Delhi and Mumbai and in troubled states such as Jammu and Kashmir.

[51][52] The airspace around the Red Fort is declared a no-fly zone to prevent aerial attacks[53] and additional police forces are deployed in other cities.

This mixture is exemplified by outfits and savouries dyed with the tricolour and garments that represent India's various cultural traditions.

[68] Freedom at Midnight (1975) is a non-fiction work by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre that chronicled the events surrounding the first Independence Day celebrations in 1947.

[69][72][73] On the Internet, Google has been commemorating Independence Day of India since 2003 with a special doodle on its Indian homepage.