THE TRIBUNE

CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 15 AUGUST 2014

OPED-HISTORY

09

Past forward: Revisiting August 15, 1947

told him Bhabha and Mathai should
both be kept since they were extremely able and fearless. I told him Baldev
Singh appeared unsatisfactory (for
Defence) even though I realized he
was the only Sikh. Mountbatten, in
fact, suggested that Rajendra Prasad
should be a very good Speaker. The
Report says Nehru agreed, but he
(Nehru) felt, there was a: remarkable
dearth of good young men, to take up
such responsibility. Nehru is quoted
as saying: he would induct some
young people as Deputy Ministers
and Parliamentary Secretaries to give
them experience. Later Nehru went
to his colleagues in the party who had
already drawn up a list of their own.
Nehru tore up the list.
Some days later, just before Mountbatten was to leave for the midnight ceremony (August 14), Nehru called on
Mountbatten: And you Sir, have chosen me as your Prime Minister and
there is the Cabinet which I submit to
you, (handing over to Mountbatten an
envelope). When Mountbatten opened
the envelope it contained only a blank
sheet of paper. On seeing Mountbatten's
amazement Nehru lightly remarked:
You and I have been through this so
often it doesn't matter. You and I have
agreed who it is going to be.
Both the national flag and the national anthem find interesting entries in the
Viceroy's private papers. The prospect
of lowering the Union Jack (the flag of
Great Britain) for the last time in India
appears to have been weighing on the
Viceroy. The Viceroy's Personal Report
(No 17) for August 16, 1947 (para 67)
reads: At 6 pm the great event of the
day was to take place the salutation
of the new Dominion Flag. This programme had originally included a ceremonial lowering of the Union Jack, but
when I discussed this with Nehru he
entirely agreed that this was a day they
wanted everybody to be happy and if
the lowering of the Union Jack in any
way offended British sensibilities, he
would certainly see that it did not take
place. With regard to the national
anthem even as late as August 7, the
agenda item to decide on the national
anthem had listed Bande Matram.
There are numerous versions of how
and when it was changed. But from initial responses of senior leaders the decision to change the national anthem
appears not to have been well-received.

Raghuvendra Tanwar

Even though
Indias fight for
freedom was a
long and arduous
struggle, it was
finally during the
summer of 1947
that Indias
political destiny
was truly written.
A walk down
history lane
recreates the
events of the
milestone day.

HE 20th century will be

recorded in the annals of world
history for some hugely important events. Many of these
have left imprints that transformed the
world and its people. The two World
Wars (1914-19 and 1939-45); the two revolutions, Russia (1917) and China
(1949); the use of atomic weapons; landing man on the moon and the scientific
advances that followed; the microchip,
adult franchise, the list goes on. The
world we live in today is very different
from the world of a time when imperialism and colonialism were respectable
terms. India's struggle for freedom
and its final victory sounded in a way
the first call that would in the course of
time demolish the concept of colonial
empires. As country after country followed India in discarding their colonial yokes 1947 became iconic in the
context of freedom and nationalistic
aspirations not just on the subcontinent, but virtually all across the
colonised world. In this sense particularly for the younger generation, it is
important to remember that 15 August,
1947 is a date significant not only in
our history but in the history of the
colonised world.

Jawaharlal Nehru being sworn in as the Prime Minister by Lord Mountbatten on August
15, 1947. Photo courtesy: VP Menon, The Transfer of Power 1957

The summer of 1947

Reliving history
Some people were even

hoarding the Tricolour

and selling it in the black
market.
Over 300 flag-hoisting

ceremonies were
planned for Delhi alone.
The complete lack of

enthusiasm among
Punjabis stands out
repeatedly in the appeals
made by Congress
leaders to celebrate
August 15.
The widespread gloom

and sadness that

prevailed across Punjab
appears to have in no
way interfered with the
pomp and pageantry in
Delhi and Karachi and
even Lahore.
Even as Lahore was

being overrun by
violence, a great part of
the attention and effort of
senior functionaries of
the government was
being devoted to
arranging a grand event
in the Ballroom of
Government House.

Even though India's fight for freedom

was a long and arduous struggle, it was
during the summer of 1947 that India's
political destiny was truly written. The
British officialdom in India were as
tired and exhausted as the Indian leaders. As much also remains unexplained, students of history continue
to search in the dark for answers to key
decisions, awaiting key files to be
made accessible.
By the first week of August an estimated 150,000 people had already been
killed in the Punjab and, the worst was
yet to come.
However, in Delhi,
notwithstanding the calls for boycott by
many people, the tempo for the Independence Day celebrations had begun
to speed up from the beginning of
August itself.
In the East Punjab, however, the situation was quite different. There prevailed almost a complete lack of enthusiasm among the common people in
most parts. Officially, the government
of East Punjab issued instructions to all
the 12 deputy commissioners on how
celebrations were to be organised.
Every district was to organise a main
function which was to be attended by all
officials where the new flag of the
Republic was to be saluted. Arrangements were to be made for illuminating
important government buildings. In
Lahore, Muddie was sworn in as Governor of Punjab at 10.45 am, on August 15,
1947. Even as Lahore was being overrun by violence a great part of the attention and effort of senior functionaries of
the government was being devoted to
arranging a grand event in the Ballroom of Government House. The invitation card carried details of dresses to
be worn and elaborate protocol that was
to be followed. As Muddie took oath of
office with bands and salutes, sounds of
gun fire, looting and screaming and
dark clouds of smoke from burning
buildings formed the backdrop.
There is an interesting story of how
August 15 was chosen by Mountbatten
for the formal transfer of power. Not
having been in India long enough to
realise that the opinion of astrologers
usually played an important role in
the choice of dates and time for impor-

on this day... 100 years ago

Lord and Lady Mountbatten in the midst of euphoric crowds on the way to the main
function of Independence Day, 1947. Photo courtesy: Alex Von Tunzelmann, Indian Summer

Lady Mountbatten with Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru at the farewell dinner for
the Mounbattens. Photo courtesy: Nehru
Memorial Museum & Library

tant events, Mountbatten chose

August 15 for the simple reason that it
was on this day that Japan had surrendered to the Allied Forces marking
the end of World War II (1945). Mountbatten knew that the rationalist Nehru
would be happy ignoring astrologers
even though a great many of the other
Congress titans were firmly committed to astrology. In his Personal Report
(No 16 August 9, 1947), Mountbatten
writes: the astrologers are being
rather tiresome, since both August 13
and 15 have been declared inauspicious The Viceroy noted with a
smut that: luckily the Constituent
Assembly has got over this by deciding to meet before midnight August
14. Mountbatten was as we know a
great believer in pomp and pageantry.
The dramatics of handing over power

The historic press conference on June 4,

1947, when transfer of power was formally
announced. Photo: Transfer of Power

at midnight fascinated the Viceroy.

Thus came to be the memorable ceremony and Nehru's speech in the central hall of Parliament, as the
world sleeps India will

A grand dinner and reception was to follow the ceremony. For the first
time the convention of raising a toast to the King emperor was to be
changed to merely the Health of the King.Many years later,
Mounbatten remarked:... to drink port at 2 am, in a toast to the King
of England at dawn of Indias Independence was quite something.

lahore, saturday,august 15, 1914

The Significance of Indian and British unity

IT has been reserved for Sir Pheroze Shah M. Mehta, who is lovingly
called the uncrowned king of Bombay, to give free expression to the
one feeling which now dominates the minds of all the many different
races who inhabit this great country and who owe willing and unquestioned allegiance to British Crown. In his brief and telling speech at
the Town Hall meeting on Thursday evening he said: "At this juncture
of supreme gravity we have met together here to-day in this public
hall of different races and religions, of different creeds and communities English and Hindu, Parsi and Musalman to proclaim with
one heart, one soul and one mind that these differences distinguish
but do not divide us, and that in the presence of this solemn situation
we are merged in one general and universal denomination, the proud
denomination of loyal and devoted subjects of the British Crown."

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DOWN
1 Widespread (4)
2 Eventuate (4,3)
3 Spirited interchange of
views (3,3,6)

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A delicious drink (6)

Inexact (5)
Refuse to sanction (8)
Be very significant (5,7)
Deliberate malicious
damage (8)
Told (7)
Intense dislike (6)
Great disorder (5)
Scorch (4)

SUNSET:
SUNRISE:

Sunny

FRIDAY
SATURDAY

Partly Cloudy

7.05 PM
5.50 AM

Cloudy

CITY
MAX
Chandigarh 34
New Delhi
35

MIN
27
27

PUNJAB

1 2
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8

Amritsar
Bathinda
Jalandhar
Ludhiana
Patiala

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HARYANA

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Yesterdays solution
Counsellor (7)
Thing exactly like another (5)
Every one separately (4)
Campaigner (8)

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Recall of officers on leave

forecast

Down
2 Opine, 3 Pundit,
4 Accurate, 5
Flaunt, 6 Proffer, 7
Tell tales, 11 Make
peace, 13 All the
go, 14 Chiffon, 16
Relish, 17 Hansom,
19 Kudos.

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23

The writer is Senior Professor, Department of History,

Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.

su do ku
Across
1 To speak of, 8
Large, 9 Pinnace,
10 Fulfil, 11 Metier,
12 Anathema, 15
Ethereal, 18
Thanks, 20 Enfold,
21 Seaside, 22
Cross, 23 Hit-ormmiss.

ACROSS
1 Disposed to say little (8)
5 Trudge (4)
9 Before anything else (5)
10 Plentiful (7)
11 In excellent condition (5,
2, 1, 4)
13 Wily (6)
14 Carry to excess (6)
17 Visionary, impractical (12)

Any reference to the last days of

British rule and the first days of our
Independence cannot but end without
a reference to the great man himself.
Even though Mahatma Gandhi was as
Robert Payne put it: ..like a mountain
and Nehru like a blade of grass..,
Gandhi died a sad man, disillusioned
and disenchanted. Soon after Mountbatten had been requested to accept
the office of Governor-General, Gandhi called on him: I wanted to let you
know, you must please give an example. We are a poor country. The British
ruled with tremendous show of
panoply and ceremony if you are
Head of State you must come down
and be humble and live in a small
house with your wife be accessible
like I. Mountbatten remarked: And
what do we do with this magnificent
house which cost a fortune to build.
Ah! That, Gandhiji replied, should
be turned into a hospital. Mountbatten tried to explain that the place was
not planned and therefore not suitable
to be a hospital. Gandhiji then said:
You must find some use for it move
out as an example. We must all live on
a much lower scale.

The main function was planned for

about 30,000 but over 300,000 actually
turned up. Democracy India-style gave
its first picture. Crowds stormed the
seating reserved for dignitaries. Never
had the British system of protocol failed
so badly. The Viceroy and Lady Mountbatten found themselves among common people, with the August heat and
the crowd combining to create a lethal
combination. All the carefully worked
out details were swept aside. Mountbatten virtually shouted the order to hoist
the Tricolour.
As the Tricolour was hoisted, a thunderous roar came up from the crowd.
So much was the noise that the sound
of the saluting guns, seemed a whimper. Some reports noted the sight of a
rainbow the colours of which bore a
stark resemblance to the Tricolour.
Such was the hysteria that Nehru actually sat cross-legged on the bonnet of
his vehicle, finding it impossible to get
in on the way back. Indian crowds
being what they are soon raised slogans
- Pandit Mountbatten ki jai. If anything, the ceremony and confusion that

The formation of free India's first

Cabinet finds an interesting reference
in Mountbatten's Personal Reports
(Report No 15, August 2, 1947). In the
first week of August (1947), Delhi was
full of stories of who would make it to
the Cabinet and who would be left out.
Mountbatten was keen that Nehru
must choose young and imaginative
people for his Cabinet rather than old
Congressmen: I told him unless he
got rid of a lot of top weights like
Rajagopalachari and Maulana Azad
he would find himself hampered. I

YESTERDAYS
SOLUTION

IT is certainly the right thing that the Government of India has

called back all I.C.S. men and police officers now on leave in England to resume duty at once in India. At a time of storm and stress
every body should be at his post. We understand that the Punjab
officers now at home on leave will all be back by the first week of
September. When they have returned the question of posting them
will be one of importance. One thing that should be borne in mind
in this connection is that important districts should be placed in
charge of men who are well known for their tact and experience,
men who possess cool heads and large hearts. The proper thing
would be to appoint men, both civilians and police officers, to districts where they are well-known, loved and respected.

What Gandhi felt

First brush with democracy

Indias first Cabinet

quick crossword

followed showed that the British had

got away with their honour and dignity
unharmed. As Cambell Johnson in his
important work noted: After 200 years
Britain has conquered India, referring
as he was to the crowd's response.
From the Minutes of the Viceroy's
Staff Meeting (No 65), of July 28, 1947,
comes another amusing incident. The
Viceroy issued instructions for a grand
dinner and reception which was to follow the midnight ceremony of August
14-15. For the first time the convention
of raising a toast to the King Emperor
was to be changed to merely the
Health of the King. Many years later,
Mountbatten remarked: ...to drink
port at 2 am, in a toast to the King of
England at the dawn of India's Independence was quite something...
At some stage Mountbatten appears to
have been of the impression that both
Nehru and Gandhi had agreed to have
on the Indian Union's flag, even if in a
symbolic manner, the Union Jack.
Mountbatten was reasonably sure that
the Congress would accept the idea and
in believing so had, ready on his table a
design of the proposed flag when Nehru
came to meet him on June 24. It is difficult to know what Nehru thought or
how he reacted mentally to the proposal, but certainly the gentleman that
Nehru was, he did not show any
response to Mountbatten. Nehru even
took the design with him on the
grounds that he would discuss the matter with other leaders. Mountbatten
even appears to have thought that a
similar proposal might carry conviction
with Jinnah as well.
Jinnah of course was blunt and
straightforward when a similar proposal was put up to him. In a note appended to the proceedings of this meeting,
Mountbatten recorded that while
Nehru said that extremists in the Congress would not agree, Jinnah said
that it would be repugnant to the feelings of Muslims to have the Christian
cross alongside the crescent. The
same document also shows that at
some earlier stage Mountbatten had
also reached a decision with senior
Indian leaders that even after August
15, (1947) the Union Jack would be
flown in India on special occasions.

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AUGUST 15, 2014, FRIDAY

Shri Vikrami Samvat 2071

Shaka Samvat 1936 (Sharavan Shaka 24)
Shravan Parviste 31
Hijari 1435
Krishan Paksha tithi 5, up to 7.53 am
Shula yoga up to 1.54 pm
Revti Nakshatra up to 11.05 am
Moon enters in Pisces sign at 11.05 am
Panchak ends at 11.05 am
Independence Day
Chandans Shasthi vart.

Ambala
Bhiwani
Hisar
Karnal
Sirsa

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Dharamsala
Manali
Nahan
Shimla
Solan

26
24
26
22
27

16
16
18
16
20

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Jammu
Leh
Srinagar

33
31
32

23
18
18

30
22
22

23
16
17

UTTARAKHAND

Dehradun
Mussoorie
Nainital
TEMPERATURE IN OC

Rainy