1. INDIA’S STRUGGLE FOR
FREEDOM
How India became free on
August 15, 1947
A Lipilekha Presentation
by
Subrata Das
2. MAP OF THE WORLD
Where on earth is India?
A Lipilekha Presentation by 2
Subrata Das
3. WHY DO WE CARE
• Free India, as the world’s largest democracy,
plays an important role in the world
• Free India provided opportunities for you/your
parents/grandparents to come abroad
• Otherwise, you would probably be living in India
under British colonial rule, not here in the USA
• You owe a lot to people who sacrificed their lives
in the past so you could live free today
A Lipilekha Presentation by 3
Subrata Das
5. HOMAGE TO PEOPLE BEHIND
INDIA’S FREEDOM
• Early Freedom Fighters, such as:
Mangal Pandey in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny
Lakshmi Bai, Rani of Jhansi in 1858
• Prominent Leaders, such as:
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Jawarhalal Nehru
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
• Many ordinary Indians, who sacrificed their lives
and careers so we could live free today
A Lipilekha Presentation by 5
Subrata Das
6. HOMAGE TO PEOPLE BEHIND
INDIA’S FREEDOM
• Early Freedom Fighters, such as:
Mangal Pandey in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny
Lakshmi Bai, Rani of Jhansi in 1858
• Prominent Leaders, such as:
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Jawarhalal Nehru
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
• Many “extraordinary” Indians, who sacrificed
their lives and careers so we could live free
today
A Lipilekha Presentation by 6
Subrata Das
7. STRUGGLE UNDER TWO PERIODS OF
BRITISH RULE
• British East India Company: 1757-1858
Battle of Plassey: 6/23/1757, Palashi, West Bengal, 90
miles north of Kolkata. British, under Robert Clive, vs.
Siraj-Ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal. Vastly outnumbered,
British bribed deposed army chief Mir Jafar who betrayed
the Nawab by not allowing his troops to fight
Isolated resistance to British rule: 1757-1857
Sepoy Mutiny, 1857: started by Mangal Pandey
Last big battle, 1858: Lakshmi Bai, Rani of Jhansi
• British Government: 1858-1947
Queen Victoria, Empress of India, 1876-1901
A succession of Viceroys or Governor-Generals
A Lipilekha Presentation by 7
Subrata Das
8. STRUGGLE UNDER BRITISH RULE
1858-1947
• Inspiration for Freedom: Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo,
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Dadabhai
Naoroji, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai,
Chitta Ranjan Das, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Raja Ram Mohan
Roy, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, Bhagat Singh, Bagha Jatin,
Khudiram Bose, Surya Sen, Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Formation of
• Formation of Indian National Congress, 1885
• Outrage at Viceroy Curzon’s order to partition Bengal, 1905
• Formation of Muslim League, 1906: Jinnah left INC & joined ML
after disagreements with Gandhi; called for division of India, 1940.
• Emperor George V’s visit to India, 1911, announcing reversal of the
Bengal partition and transferring the capital from Kolkata to New
Delhi
• World War I, 1914-1918: India helped England’s war efforts
A Lipilekha Presentation by 8
Subrata Das
9. STRUGGLE UNDER BRITISH RULE
1858-1947 (continued)
• Rowlatt Act: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre 4/13/1919, soldiers fired on
thousands of unarmed men, women and children, killing and
wounding many
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: work in S. Africa, work in India
1915-1948, Satyagraha (devotion to truth)(non-violent civil
disobedience for freedom), 241-mile Salt March in 24 days to protest
salt tax 1930, Quit India call in 1932, numerous prison terms and
protest fasts, assassinated on 1/30/1948.
• Jawarhalal Nehru: president of INC’s Lahore session 1929,
resolution for complete independence from Britain
• World War II: 1939-1945, India’s entry by Britain despite protests
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: INC president 1937, 1939, Azad Hind
Movement, house arrest, escape 1/7/1941, help from abroad, Indian
National Army, death under controversial circumstances
A Lipilekha Presentation by 9
Subrata Das
12. (EXTRA)ORDINARY FREEDOM
FIGHTERS
• Freedom fighters suffered and sacrificed
• Examples I know: My parents both suffered jail terms
• One of many incidents:
– Defying police ban, my father started to deliver a speech in a
meeting in Midnapore on 3/4/1932, supporting Gandhi’s call for
non-cooperation
– Police beat him severely on the meeting ground and jailed him
– My mother visited him in jail and wept to see the welt marks on
his back
– She was found guilty for this visit and was jailed as well
• I.I.T., Kharagpur stands at the location of the Hijli jail
where both Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and my father
were jailed once at the same time
A Lipilekha Presentation by 12
Subrata Das
13. INDEPENDENCE, 8/15/1947
• Mountbatten, India’s Governor-General, announced
partition, 6/3/1947
• Independent Pakistan, 8/14/1947
• Independent India, 8/15/1947
Jawarhalal Nehru, Prime Minister
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Deputy Prime Minister
(Mountbatten 1947-1948), Rajagopalachari, Governor-General
• Violent clashes between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs
• Millions of refugees
• Republic of India, 1/26/1950
Rajendra Prasad, President of India
A Lipilekha Presentation by 13
Subrata Das
