Beyond midnight's freedom

In the immortal words of Jawaharlal Nehru, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom”, one can relive history. The moment on August 15, 1947, was not simply the end of foreign dominion — it was the culmination of a dream nurtured through generations of struggle and sacrifice. From the shadow of subjugation, India stepped into the light of self-determination. The fight for freedom was neither swift nor simple. It began in earnest with the Revolt of 1857, the first major blow to colonial confidence. Decades later, the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 seared itself into the national conscience, galvanising calls for complete Independence. Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership transformed the struggle into a mass movement — his Salt March of 1930 and the Quit India Movement of 1942 becoming rallying cries. The defining moments steadily weakened the foundations of the Empire until the dawn of freedom became inevitable.