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This is the real reason why August 15 was chosen as India's Independence Day

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 12 August 2017, 13:17 IST

We all celebrate our country's Independence day on August 15 every year. But the real reason why the date August 15 was chosen to celebrate the Independence is still unknown to some. Since everything related to Independence has some or the other connection with the British rule, this reason too has it's roots attached to a Britisher.

The reason behind this date lies solely with British Lord Mountbatten and his heightened sense of self worth. After the II World War, the Britishers got low both monetarily and militarily. This led to a bit of a mess on the organisational front, and other matters such as the date of a colony's independence wasn't their priority.

When Lord Mountbatten was asked why he chose 15th August as the date, he said, "The date I chose came out of the blue. I chose it in reply to a question. I was determined to show I was the master of the whole event. When they asked: had I set a date, I knew it had to be soon. I hadn’t worked it out exactly then – I thought it had to be about August or September and then I went to the 15th of August. Why? Because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender."

For your information, August 15, 1945 was also the date when Japan surrendered after being bombed by Little Boy (first nuclear weapon on Hiroshima) and Fat Man (second nuclear weapon on Nagasaki). Lord Mountbatten decided one of our country's most important date for the future based on his own personal moment of glory.

First published: 12 August 2017, 13:17 IST