Vol. 1947No. 227Dawn of Independence
The India you were born into
Friday15 August1947
India became independent from British rule, with Jawaharlal Nehru delivering his famous midnight address as the new nation began its first day.
Change dateThe Front Page
India becomes independent
Independence Day — the first morning of a new India
India became independent from British rule. Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first Prime Minister, addressed the nation as a new democratic state began its journey.
Partition reshapes the subcontinent
Partition reshapes the subcontinent
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In august 1947, a litre of petrol cost Loading… and a local phone call cost Loading….
Benchmark value; verify against the original census/official source before publication. Not a census count. Source: current India population working dataset.
Prices from the month you were born, listed the way the kirana shop would have written them.
- The Hindu archive
- National archival records
- Press and public memory
04 · Sport
India on the field in 1947
Moment of the year · Hockey
Independent India enters the post-independence sporting era
India entered independence as the reigning Olympic men's hockey champion.
194705 · Cinema & music
What India was watching and humming
The film everyone queued for that month, and the song that played from every cassette player that year.
JUGNU
Year 1947
Film of the year · 1947
Jugnu
Also in theatresDard · Shehnai · Do Bhai · Mirza Sahiban · Elaan · Neel Kamal
Song of the year · 1947
"Yahan Badla Wafa Ka"
Also on the radio"Woh Paas Rahe Ya Na Rahe" · "Ve Main Tenu Puchna" · "Piya Ghar Aaja"
$ cat science-and-technology-1947
Radio, fixed telephony and institution-building
What science and technology looked like in India in 1947.
Technology moves closer to daily life
Computing, communication and consumer electronics were gradually moving from specialist institutions toward ordinary homes, offices and public life.
Faces of 1947
Jawaharlal Nehru
Took oath as India's first Prime Minister on 15 August and delivered the iconic 'Tryst with Destiny' speech.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Headed the States Department and initiated the integration of over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.
Mahatma Gandhi
Stationed himself in Bengal during Independence Day to quieten intense communal riots through fasting and peace work.
B. R. Ambedkar
Appointed as independent India's first Law Minister and Chairman of the Constituent Assembly's Drafting Committee.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Sworn in as Pakistan's first Governor-General following Partition and the formal transfer of power.
Lord Mountbatten
Supervised the transfer of power as Viceroy before being invited to serve as independent India's first Governor-General.
09 · BEYOND INDIA
Beyond India
Before the internet put the world in our pockets, news from abroad arrived through telegrams, radios, television sets and eventually phones.
Truman Doctrine is announced
12 MAR
The United States announces a policy of supporting governments resisting communist pressure, marking a major Cold War turning point.
1947, circled in red
The year India became independent.