Road to Independence: Major events that lead India to Independence Abhishek Tripathi Legal Article Sat, Aug 15, 2020, at ,01:55 AM Road to Independence: Major events that lead India to Independence "Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny; and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom." From Jawaharlal Nehru's speech "Tryst with Destiny" On 15 August 2020 India will celebrate its 74th Independence Day. On 15 August 1947, India got Independence from the forever long British Rule. The ‘Tryst of Destiny’ was recited to declare the birthright of every Indian. This Journey was not so easy, it took lots of sweat and blood and lives to give us what we have. In this article, we will follow a timeline and travel through the journey of Independence via major events of the Indian Freedom Struggle. The spark of Indian Independence was first ignited in 1857 with an unsuccessful rebellion movement, Sepoy Mutiny/ Indian Mutiny. On 10 May 1857 a military rebellion erupted in Meerut, Sepoys of East India Company Army revolted against the use of animal fat greased cartridges for guns. It is found in recent research that the cartridges were not the only reason for it but also multiple causes like social-religious-political- economic worked together to produce the rebellion. Soon the rebellion starched to Delhi and Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar declared himself as Emperor of Hindustan. The rebellion spread fast and reached to major provinces of Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Bengal, Punjab, Gwalior, etc. The rebellion didn’t last long and the British successfully suppressed the revolt. Indian National Congress was founded with its founding member as Allan Octavian Hume, William Wedderburn, W. C. Bonnerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, Lalmohan Ghosh, Badruddin Tyabji, M. G. Ranade, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha and Pherozeshah Mehta on 28 December 1885. The establishment of INC was a major step towards the freedom struggle as it resulted in an organised revolt against the monopoly of British Govt. Dadabhai Naoroji formed the East India Association in 1867 and Surendranath Banerjee founded the Indian National Association in 1876. Inspired by a suggestion made by A.O. Hume, a retired Scottish civil servant, seventy-two Indian delegates met in Bombay in 1885 and founded the Indian National Congress. Indian National Congress proved to be an important role in the fight of Independence and the future of India after that. The demand for representation by INC from the British completed a journey until Swaraj and attained Independence. MK Gandhi’s Arrival in India was proved as a blessing for the Indian Independence Struggle as Gandhi became the face of the revolution with his unusual approach of Non-Violence. Champaran movement, Kheda movement and Non-Cooperation Movement marked as some early blow to the British crown as these movements drew a lot of people in it and propagated the narrative of Swaraj in a restricted sense. Though Non-Cooperation movement was withdrawn because of the Chauri Chaura incident it directed a faith of general masses towards Gandhi. MK Gandhi Later on successfully led the Civil Disobedience Movement (Dandi March) and Quit India Movement. He led India to the sun of freedom. He is respected as Father of Nation and popularly called Mahatma Gandhi. He is not alone responsible for the independence but he was certainly the binding force which kept alive the revolution after several setbacks. The date of 13th April 1919 marked itself as one of the black days in Indian History, Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. General Dyer ordered an open fire to the peaceful protestors in Jallianwala Bagh, several lives lost. The incident imparted necessary anger in the Indians. It gave birth to revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh. This incident was widely criticised and proved to be a setback for British Rule, but still, the road to independence was yet far. This incident convinced Gandhi and several other leaders for self-governance i.e. Swaraj. Hanging of Bhagat Singh and his allies in an appropriate manner was something which no book of human right will appreciate but the incident sparked a wave of youngsters joining the revolution. The sacrifices were not gone to waste but Bhagat Singh gave a new dimension to the revolution. He is a hero and inspiration to a billion Indians who worship him and his idea of Inquilab. Dandi March or Salt Satyagrah was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The 24-day march lasted from 12 March 1930 to 6 April 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly. The purpose of the movement was to draw back the people in the struggle of Non Violent fight against the crown rule. Quit India Movement was the final cannon which was fired by the Indian revolutionaries. Quit India Movement or August Movement was launched on 8th August 1942 with an aim to put the final nail in the coffin of British Raj. The movement saw all kind of colours from peaceful protests to the violent agitations. The collective and huge participation gave a clear signal to the British that now it is not possible anymore to operate India. The famous Cabinet Mission with a historic announcement of self-determination and framing of a constitution for India was sent to India with three representatives from the British cabinet on 15 March 1946. On 15th August 1947 India awake to freedom. This Article is a very brief account of the major incidents in the Indian Freedom Struggle which defined or gave a new dimension to the revolution. The article does not intend to disrespect the feelings and sentiments of any.