Independence Days

West Bengal’s Nadia district celebrates freedom from British rule on 15, 17 and 18 August

15 August in West Bengal’s Nadia district, which borders Bangladesh, is just like the rest of the country, with the district administration organising events and functions. Two days later, however, there is an action replay of sorts with processions, cultural programmes and 102-year-old freedom fighter Basanti Waddedar hoisting the tricolour. And a day later, there is yet another replay. Nadia celebrates Independence Day on three separate days, thanks to Sir Cyril Radcliffe. While drawing the boundary during Partition, he had awarded most of the district to (then) East Pakistan. Massive protests followed and Viceroy Lord Mountbatten ordered an immediate correction to the map. On 17 August, it was announced that only three Muslim-majority subdivisions would go to East Pakistan. Pakistani flags were brought down and replaced by the tricolour on 18 August.

But the multiple celebrations don’t date that far back. It was in 1998 that a twist came by way of the August 18, 1947 Committee, which decided that the celebration should be on 18 August. Four years later, one Nadia Zilla Independence Day Celebration Committee argued that since the announcement was made the earlier evening, it ought to be celebrated on 17 August. Nadia now celebrates freedom on three separate days, with offices, markets, educational institutions and even private establishments remaining closed on these days.

Says Anjan Sukul, secretary of the August 18 Committee, “I had heard accounts from my grandfather and his contemporaries of the atrocities they suffered when it was announced that Nadia would go to East Pakistan. Hindus were terrorised. Muslim League supporters had started marking houses of Hindus for takeover. Ever since, I had wanted to observe 18 August as the day Nadia became part of independent India.” However, till 2002, the code governing the display of the tricolour had prohibited citizens from hoisting the national flag on days other than 15 August and 26 January. “So I could not legally organise any celebrations. We approached the district administration, but were told it would be illegal to do so. I approached the I&B Ministry’s Directorate of Field Publicity with a proposal to observe 18 August in an appropriate manner. They agreed to hold the celebrations in association with us. Armed with this letter, I finally got the district administration’s nod for the 18 August celebrations in 1998,” says Sukul.

While initially, the day was observed only in the small town of Krishnaganj (since Sukul belongs to that place), clones of the August 18 Committee have sprung up in other towns as well. “The district administration has no problems with the commemoration of a historical fact. We support the 17 and 18 August celebrations in deference to people’s sentiments,” says sub-divisional officer Arup Sengupta.

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Jaideep Mazumdar