To celebrate Independence Day, the national flag is hoisted all across India on the morning of August 15. But, did you know there in one town in Bihar that hoist the flag on the night of August 14, at the exact hour India became free. (Representative Image: Unsplash)
However, this is not a new custom. It goes back to the night of August 14, 1947, when the entire country waited for freedom. All India Radio was set to broadcast the announcement that would change history. At one-minute past midnight, the words showed up: India is free. (Representative Image: Unsplash)
In Purnia, Bihar, a freedom fighter named Rameshwar Prasad Singh was not willing to wait until sunrise to celebrate. Along with two friends, Ramratan Sah and Shamshul Haq, he walked out into the town at that late hour. They reached a spot right in the middle of Purnia, now known as ‘Jhanda Chowk’. There, the three men raised the newly adopted national flag. (Representative Image: Unsplash)
Reportedly, when the flag went up, the people who had come to watch broke into cheers. For the residents of this small town in Bihar, that was the moment freedom stopped begin an idea on the radio and became something they could see and feel. (Representative Image: Unsplash)
Decades later, the people of Purnia are gathering at Jhanda Chowk on the night of August 14 to hoist the flag at the same hour it was first raised. While the rest of the country waits for the morning of August 15, Purnia gets there first, honouring the exact moment the news of freedom broke. (Representative Image: Unsplash)
Reportedly, Jhanda Chowk itself has become a small landmark tied entirely to this event. (Representative Image: Unsplash)