The State of Madras broke into unbounded joy a day before independence in 1947
Reports published by The Hindu in August 1947 shed light on the gala celebrations in the capital. Preparations had begun well before the ceremonial transfer of power on August 15. Nearly two weeks earlier, the Corporation of Madras started making elaborate arrangements. Mayor T. Sundararao Naidu appealed to citizens to whitewash their houses and decorate them in the best manner possible. Plans were made for processions of children from Corporation schools along the main streets of each division.
Lighting arrangements tested
In the city's business areas, merchants competed to outshine one another in decorating their premises. The finishing touches were given on the evening of August 14 and the testing of lighting arrangements offered members of the public an early glimpse into how Madras would sparkle that night. The Hindu had deputed a correspondent to tour the city on the evening of August 14 and witness its transformation. 'While the National Flag will be hoisted over Government buildings only early in the morning [of August 15, 1947], the commercial houses in the city had the flag hoisted over their buildings by last evening,' a report said.
Mount Road, Mambalam, Mylapore, and Triplicane glittered with lights and colour. In George Town, the press of sightseers brought the traffic to a crawl, and the police struggled to regulate the flow of pedestrians and vehicles. Such was the enthusiasm that it was hard to find a single person without a National Flag, the report said. As night fell on August 14, the excitement reached its peak. Thousands of residents sat by community radios, listening to the Constituent Assembly proceedings in New Delhi. The streets came alive with torchlight processions. Marchers, carrying the Tricolour, moved to the beat of drums, chanting 'Vande Mataram' and 'Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai'. At street corners and on residential lanes, people stood in groups exchanging greetings.
'Vande Mataram' on AIR
When the midnight chimes signalled the birth of Free India, the sound was echoed in temple bells and the deep notes of conchs and trumpets. The resonant strains of 'Vande Mataram', sung by Sucheta Kripalani in New Delhi, reached Madras through the All India Radio broadcast.
The morning's first official function was the swearing-in of the Governor and the Ministers at Fort St. George. At 9 a.m., the Prime Minister (as the Chief Minister was then known), O.P. Ramaswami Reddiar, and his colleagues, except for P. Subbaroyan who was in Delhi, assembled in the Cabinet Room. Sir Archibald Nye, the Governor of Madras, arrived with Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Sir Frederick Gentle. The Chief Justice administered the Oath of Allegiance to the Governor, who in turn swore each Minister in. Outside the chamber, members of the public, who had free access to the Secretariat precincts, crowded in to catch a glimpse of the ceremony.
Overnight, the Union Jack had been hauled down the flagstaff of the Fort, and at dawn, the Tricolour was hoisted. The flag that was hoisted on this day, measuring 3.5 metres in length and 2.4 metres in width, is preserved at Fort St. George Museum.
The celebrations unfolded in a grand manner elsewhere in the city. At Banqueting Hall, Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy presided over a large gathering of women. Freedom fighter Rukmani Lakshmipathi hoisted the National Flag. The hall rang with national songs rendered by D.K. Pattammal, including her much-loved Aaduvome Pallu Paaduvome.
Parade at Island Grounds
At the Island Grounds that evening, one of the largest crowds ever seen in the city gathered for the Independence Day Parade. From a saluting base near the statue of Sir Thomas Munroe, the Governor of Madras hoisted the Tricolour and took the salute.
At the Ripon Buildings, the headquarters of the Corporation of Madras, a decorated procession arrived from Fort St. George, led by caparisoned elephants and camels, followed by Boy Scouts. In the lead car were Minister for Local Administration K. Chandramouli and Deputy Mayor T.G. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, carrying a special flag gifted by Chandramouli to the Corporation. The Mayor received the flag and invited Prime Minister Ramaswami Reddiar to hoist it on the mast before the clock tower.
Addressing the gathering, Ramaswami Reddiar said India's freedom had been won through the sacrifices of her people under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He said independence had been secured through truth and non-violence and urged the citizens to safeguard the freedom without ill will or malice towards anyone.
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