This is what I wanted to post earlier, on Republic Day, the 26th of January. This year, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of the republic. But we are celebrating the 63rd anniversary of independence this year. Makes sense?

I wanted to look back at the historic events of India’s independence movement to see what date could actually be set for the nation’s birth. Going back in history one could probably find justification for Sher Shah Suri’s India to be called the first version of united India in a reasonably modern form. Or perhaps the Mughal empire.

Colonization following the 1857 rebellion changed all that. A near century of direct rule by the British government followed. But India’s independence and the formation of the republic have some interesting asides.

For example, India is a founding member of the United Nations Organization. The UN was formed in 1945. India became independent in 1947. How could India be a founding member of the UN then? Even more interesting is the fact that India is one of the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles, the treaty that ended the First World War and founded the League of Nations in 1919. How’s that even possible?

The history of crown colonies fighting for independence in some form goes back further than one normally imagines. The first world war was a turning point for the British empire as many colonies sacrificed a lot in the Great War. Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand apart from India got recognition as separate entities / nations after the War.

So we have 1919 and 1945 jostling with 1947 and 1950 with some claims for recognition in the history of independence.

The year 1919 lays another claim to recognition: it was the year of the passage of the Government of India Act, 1919, which led to the devolution of powers to provincial legislative assemblies. The victory of the Congress party in several of these elections was a turning point for increased devolution of power.

Then came the real year that set the course for India’s political landscape that exists even today: 1935. This new Government of India Act is the model for the Indian Constitution today. The 1935 Act also separated Burma and politically created the unit known as undivided or pre-partition India.

1947 “only” saw the creation of the independent Dominion of India. We continued as a Dominion with a Governor General representing the British Crown till 1950. Indeed Lord Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy, was invited to remain as Governor General even after “independence” was achieved.

It was in June 1948 that we got the first Indian as Governor General. Remember that even then the Head of State remained the Queen.

So there we have it:

1919 – GOI Act, Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations founding member

1935 – GOI Act, the model used for the Constitution

1945 – Founding member of the United Nations Organization

1947 – Independent Dominion status

1948 – First Indian Governor General

1950 – Formation of the Republic, first President elected

1952 – First general elections

Is that it?

No.

Impossible as it seems India as a separate entity goes even older than that under British rule.

1900 – India represented at the Olympic Games as a separate country

So there we have it, 8 different years spanning 52 years that have some claim to mark the start of independent India in some form or other.

PS. Before anyone wonders, India won two medals at that 1900 Olympics (both Silvers).