'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: Nehru's famous speech set the tone for independent India, that day in 1947. Today, sixty years hence, we look back to the days of the British Raj and our fight for free­dom, and pay tribute to some of the greatest sons and daughters this nation has pro­duced and visit some of the best known landmarks of the freedom movement.

TEXT BY DHIMAN CHATTOPADHYAY

Sixty years ago, as Indian awaited the dawn of 15th August 1947 and Independence from British rule, Jawaharlal Nehru made his most famous speech 'Tryst with Destiny'. Today after six decades, many dreams of those who fought for our freedom and gave their lives have indeed been real­ized as India hurtles towards becoming one of the world's most powerful nations. Yet, many wishes lie unfulfilled, caught in the bottleneck of political rivalry, poverty and red tape.

From the time the British rulers first set up base in India and started their policy of annexation following the Bat­tle of Plassey, Indians, cutting across caste, religion and social standing had fought the imperialist forces tooth and nail, sometimes on an individual level or in small groups and later as the free­dom movement assumed a Pan- Indian identity, in the form of nationwide mass movements.

While the three major centers of nationalism were the provinces of Bengal, Punjab and Maha­rasthra, freedom loving Indians organized themselves across India under princes, the edu­cated intellegencia or even trade unions, to press forward their demand for independence from British rule. The first wars against British rule were fought by the royalty, from Prince Siraj-­Ud-Oaulah in Bengal to the brave heart Tippu Sultan in Mysore. Then came the first organized revolt of its kind, the great rebellion of 1857. The British Empire was shaken to its roots. Repres­sion was quick and immediate steps were taken to consolidate the British empire in India by building railway tracks and implementing the infamous 'divide and rule' policy.  

As the struggle for Independence took on a more concrete 'national' form, the Indian National Congress was born in 1885, initially as a forum for educated upper class Indians who wanted to act as a pressure group and adopted a moderate stance. It was only after the partition of Bengal in 1905 that the Congress finally split in two at the Surat Congress of 1907, with the extremists under Bal Gangadhar Talk, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai gaining more control. This was the transition phase in the struggle for freedom, from petition to agitation.

The 1920's saw the advent of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and a new era in the free­dom movement, one which brought the people of India together like never before. Not every­one agreed with Gandhi though, and the likes of Surjya Sen in Bengal and later Netaji Sub has Chandra Bose who escaped from house arrest and went abroad to set up the Azad Hind Fauj - had their own ideas on how to achieve free­dom from British oppression.

Finally in 1947, the British left India, but not before it had ensured the Partition of this great nation. Freedom was achieved, but at a huge cost.

In the following pages, we take a trip down memory lane, visiting some of the cities, towns and landmarks that have become intrinsically associated with the Indian freedom movement for all time to come. Of course there are hun­dreds of such places in this great nation of ours. We could only afford to select a few, keeping space constraints in mind. Some of them are oft visited places while others are not so well-­known to the 21st century generation. -