79th Independence Day 2026: Red Fort Address & MCQs

Since 15th August 1947, the ceremonial hoisting of the Tricolour and the Prime Minister's national address has taken place at the Lahori Gate ramparts of the Red Fort.

Pingali Venkayya, an educator and freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh, designed the Swaraj flag whose design was adapted into the Indian National Flag.

The Flag Code of India specifies that the National Flag shall be rectangular with a proportion of length to height of 3:2.

As explained by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in the Constituent Assembly, saffron represents renunciation and courage, white represents peace and truth, and green represents prosperity and fertility.

Adopted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, the 24 spokes symbolize Dharma and dynamic forward progress.

In January 2004, Chief Justice V.N. Khare held that hoisting the National Flag freely with dignity is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) freedom of expression.

Section 2 of the Act prescribes imprisonment up to 3 years or fine for insulting or showing contempt to the National Flag or Constitution.

The 2022 amendment permitted machine-made polyester flags and allowed flags to be flown day and night if well illuminated.

Nehru delivered his celebrated ‘Tryst with Destiny' speech to the Indian Constituent Assembly as India gained independence.

Lord Mountbatten served as the last Viceroy and continued as independent India's first Governor-General until June 1948.

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India before the office was abolished on 26th January 1950 with the adoption of the Republic.

Sir Cyril Radcliffe drew the 1947 partition boundaries, known as the Radcliffe Line.

The Radcliffe Award was published on 17th August 1947, two days after independence had been formally proclaimed.

Operation Polo was the military operation in September 1948 where the Indian Armed Forces annexed the princely state of Hyderabad into the Indian Union.

Sardar Patel, alongside civil servant V.P. Menon, unified the fragmented princely states through Instruments of Accession.

Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26th October 1947 following tribal militia invasions backed by Pakistan.

France transferred administrative control of its Indian settlements to the Government of India on 1st November 1954, ratified de jure in 1962.

Operation Vijay in December 1961 liberated the Portuguese enclaves, integrating Goa into India as a Union Territory (later a full State in 1987).

Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement (August Kranti) on 8th August 1942 demanding an immediate end to British rule in India.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose established the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind) in Singapore in October 1943.

Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were martyred on 23rd March 1931 in Lahore Central Jail; 23rd March is observed as Shaheed Diwas.

Poet and freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu served as the Governor of the United Provinces (Uttar Pradesh) from 1947 until her death in 1949.

Aruna Asaf Ali bravely hoisted the Tricolour in Mumbai on 9th August 1942 amidst police tear gas and mass arrests.

Kanaklata Barua led the Mukti Bahini procession during the Quit India Movement and was shot dead while clutching the national Tricolour.

Kushal Konwar was the only martyr in the entire country who was formally hanged by the British during the 1942 Quit India Movement.

Gopinath Bordoloi fought steadfastly alongside Sardar Patel to prevent Assam from being grouped into East Pakistan under the Cabinet Mission plan.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commenced 75 weeks before 15th August 2022 and concluded on Meri Maati Mera Desh in 2023.

Viksit Bharat 2047 outlines economic expansion to a $30+ trillion GDP with high living standards, green energy, and innovation.

Tagore composed the hymn in 1911, first sung publicly on 27th December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.

Written in Sanskritized Bengali, ‘Vande Mataram' inspired generations of freedom fighters and was adopted as the National Song in 1950.