The Amazing Story of India’s Independence

“The mantra is Do or Die. We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of slavery” - Mahatma Gandhi. 
 
Nearly every Indian citizen is aware that India attained independence on 15th August 1947, but do we know what sparked this courage? What was the actual incident that ignited the flame of nationalism and fuelled Indians with the thirst for freedom? Let us go back to 1917! 
 
Why is this year considered so special in the history of India independence? Let us find out. The farmers of India were being brutally exploited at that time in the village of Champaran. Raj Kumar Shukla, a resolute and determined peasant, went to visit Gandhi to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar. Gandhi accompanied Shukla to Champaran, where he learned about the situation and the injustice happening to the peasants. 
 
When Gandhi visited Champaran, the peasants saw him as a Mahatma who had come to revolt against the British. They saw Gandhi as their saviour; every peasant and other people started to support Gandhi and stopped fearing the British. This made the British take a step back; they agreed to Gandhi’s terms and conditions. 
 
This was the first civil disobedience movement, which ignited the flame of freedom and nationalism in Indians. Gandhi made sure to keep this spirit and fire alive among the people. Civil disobedience had triumphed for the first time in modern India; this made the people believe that if they could achieve victory over this, they could also snatch their country’s freedom from the British with unity. 

By: Tanushka Sharma