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Economic Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Is it the 78th or 79th Independence Day? Here is a breakdown and why numbers don't always add up
Synopsis Independence Day 2025: India gears up to celebrate its 79th Independence Day on August 15, 2025, prompting the recurring question of the correct count. While 78 years will have passed since independence in 1947, the celebration marks the 79th observance. This milestone arrives as India reflects on its journey from partition to a global power, honoring freedom and progress. iStock 78th Or 79th Independence Day 2025 Independence Day 2025: As India readies itself to celebrate Independence Day on August 15, 2025, a common question once again emerges in conversations across the country: is this the 78th or the 79th Independence Day? On the surface, the calculation looks straightforward — subtract 1947 from 2025 and you get 78. That's the number of full years since India ended British colonial rule. However, when it comes to marking Independence Days, the counting works a little differently, leading to understandable confusion. So, which is it — the 78th or the 79th Independence Day? Let's clear up the mystery. Why the numbers don't always add up India achieved independence on August 15, 1947. That very day is celebrated as the country's first Independence Day. Since then, every August 15 has been observed as a symbol of freedom, unity, and democracy. The confusion arises because some people assume that subtracting 1947 from the current year tells the full story. While 2025 minus 1947 equals 78 years, this reflects the total completed years of independence, not the number of Independence Day celebrations. The key is that the first Independence Day was celebrated the very day independence was declared — so the count starts at one, not zero. Breaking down the count: What number is 2025? Let's list it out for clarity: August 15, 1947 – 1st Independence Day August 15, 1948 – 2nd Independence Day … August 15, 2024 – 78th Independence Day August 15, 2025 – 79th Independence Day This means that the Independence Day in 2025 will be the 79th time the nation comes together to honor its freedom. Why this distinction matters Though this may seem like a minor detail, it's about more than just numbers. Independence Day is a solemn reminder to honor every single year India has been free — a freedom fought for and fiercely protected. The 79th Independence Day also arrives at a time of reflection. From the tumultuous early years marked by partition and hardship to today's India — a rising global power in technology, space, and diplomacy — each celebration marks another chapter in an ongoing story of progress and hope. Official confirmation It's important, especially in schools, media, and public discourse, to refer to the celebration accurately. Officials, including the Prime Minister's Office and the Press Information Bureau, have confirmed that August 15, 2025, will mark India's 79th Independence Day. The PM's office recently invited citizens to share ideas for his Independence Day speech, underscoring the significance of the occasion. — narendramodi (@narendramodi) In sum, while India will have completed 78 years of independence by August 2025, the Independence Day itself — the celebration — will be the 79th. Getting this right honors not just arithmetic, but the spirit of freedom and the memory of those who made it possible.
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Independence Day 2025: Is it 78th Or 79th Swatantrata Diwas? Everything you need to know
Independence Day, or Swatantrata Diwas, is celebrated every year on 15th August and is marked as a national holiday in India. On this day in 1947, India finally gained freedom from nearly 200 years of British rule in the subcontinent. It is a day of pride and gratitude, as we remember the countless freedom fighters who gave their lives for the nation. With their courage, determination, and patriotism, they compelled the British Empire to leave India forever. Are We Celebrating the 78th or 79th Independence Day in 2025? As 15th August approaches, one question often puzzles people - is it the 78th or 79th Independence Day? This confusion arises because India will have completed 78 full years of freedom in 2025, and every year adds a new twist to the count. The Maths Behind the Celebration Count India became independent on 15th August 1947. The first anniversary was celebrated in 1948, the 10th in 1957, the 20th in 1967, and the 70th in 2017. Following that logic, 2025 marks the 78th anniversary of Independence. However, if we count the number of Independence Days since 1947, with 15th August 1947 itself being the first, then 2025 would be the 79th Independence Day. Both ways of counting are technically correct. The Symbolism of the Indian Tricolour Every year, the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag at the historic Red Fort in Delhi and addresses the nation. This is followed by a military parade and cultural displays. Our national flag, adopted on 22nd July 1947, holds deep meaning. Made from khadi, hand-spun cotton symbolising self-reliance, the flag is a proud emblem of India's spirit. Saffron (Top Stripe): Represents courage, sacrifice, and strength of spirit. White (Middle Stripe): Symbolises peace, purity, and truth, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's principles of non-violence. Green (Bottom Stripe): Stands for fertility, prosperity, and the agricultural heritage of India. Ashoka Chakra: The navy-blue wheel in the centre has 24 spokes, representing truth, progress, and the continuous movement of the nation. How India Celebrates Independence Day Across the country, the day is observed with energy, pride, and patriotism. Flag Hoisting: The main event takes place at the Red Fort, but similar ceremonies are held in schools, colleges, and public spaces nationwide. Patriotic Songs & Speeches: The national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' is sung, and leaders deliver speeches honouring the sacrifices of the past. Cultural Programmes: Folk dances, patriotic songs, and skits highlight India's cultural richness. Patriotic Films & Documentaries: Television and theatres showcase stories of the freedom struggle. Public Displays of Patriotism: People wear tricolour-themed clothes, fly kites, and join rallies to celebrate the nation's freedom. Independence Day is not just a date on the calendar - it's a reminder of India's journey from colonial rule to a free, democratic nation. It inspires every Indian to value and protect the hard-earned liberty we enjoy today. For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Automotive
- First Post
A question for Munir: Why India became ‘Mercedes' and Pakistan a ‘dump truck'?
Asim Munir's 'Mercedes vs dump truck' analogy was meant to show Pakistan's grit, but in the cold light of economic history, it only revealed just how far the country has stalled while India races ahead read more Wish Pakistan Army's Field Marshal Asim Munir could pull off something like Winston Smith in George Orwell's classic 1984. In Orwell's novel, Smith works at the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue in Newspeak), where his job is to alter historical records and documents so they match the current version of events approved by the Party. He rewrites old newspapers, speeches and reports so that past predictions and statements always appear correct, making it seem like the Party is infallible — a kind of professional reality-revisionist. It's a bit like being a historian, except your main qualification is pretending the past never happened the way you remember it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Munir, a devout Muslim and apparently part-time automotive philosopher, presents himself as an ambassador of truth. In his own world, Munir told a gathering in Tampa, Florida, this week that India was 'a shining Mercedes' while Pakistan was 'a dump truck full of gravel'. Forgive him for thinking Mercedes and Ferrari are one and the same thing. His point, as he explained, was that if this lumbering dump truck rammed the Mercedes, the Mercedes would lose. It's a neat analogy, except that a dump truck is always a dump truck, and a shining Mercedes is always a shining Mercedes. The analogy itself says a lot about the state of progresses made by the two countries that attained Independence on the same night in August 1947. The internet, as expected, did not buy the ticket to this logic ride. Twitter (or X) users quickly noted that Pakistan's dump truck might not even start, or worse, topple over before ever reaching the Mercedes. Some suggested the dump truck was already in the scrapyard, stripped for parts and mortgaged to the IMF, the International Monetary Fund. One user quipped, 'Inka field marshal analogy me bhi apne desh ki beizzati karwa raha hai [even in analogies, Munir manages to humiliate his own country]. And yet, the analogy was honest. Pakistan is economically the dump truck, but not the sturdy, rumbling kind you see at a construction site. This is more like a battered, smoke-belching 1970s relic, bought on credit, with no fuel, and whose driver is constantly in court for loan defaults. From agrarian beginnings to IMF regular When Pakistan was born in 1947, its GDP was dominated by agriculture (53.2 per cent), and a desperate need to industrialise — much like India. Both countries needed industrialisation and shift in economic structure. Pakistan got fertile lands and minerals, with good sea port, and comparatively low population load. By the early 1950s, the two newly independent countries backed five-year plans to guide their path to economic progress. Yet, 78 years later as the two nations gear up to celebrate their respective Independence Days, the most powerful man in Pakistan thinks his country is a 'dump truck' to the 'shining Mercedes' that he described India as. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's growth story is well-documented and debated across organisations and universities. But how did Pakistan became a 'dump truck'? The first few years after Independence, 1947–1950, saw Pakistan's GDP growth limp along at barely over 3 per cent. By the 1950s, the country embraced planning with five-year plans, import regulation and modest growth — manufacturing at 7.7 per cent and agriculture at 1.9 per cent. By the 1960s, under General Ayub Khan, the economy showed some promise — GDP growth of 6.7 per cent, manufacturing booming at 8.51 per cent. But then came the wars, floods and the spectacular self goal of losing East Pakistan in 1971. The dump truck's first major crash. In the 1970s, the socialist experiments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalised industries — a sort of emulation of India's model — sent GDP growth into a pothole: agriculture grew at just 2.7 per cent, inflation soared to 15 per cent and the deficit ballooned to 8 per cent of GDP. The Mercedes next door, meanwhile, was busy sowing the seeds of its Green Revolution, which would propel it toward self-sufficiency in food production. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Golden illusion of the 1980s General Zia-ul-Haq's era (1977–1988) saw an economic uptick. GDP grew at 6.3 per cent, helped by US aid during the Afghan war, remittances and reversal of nationalisation. The dump truck got a new coat of paint and a temporary infusion of diesel—courtesy of Washington. But it was all external money. When the Soviet-Afghan war ended, the aid dried up. Pakistan returned to its default setting of political instability, sanctions and IMF begging bowls. The 1990s under alternating PPP and PML-N governments were a fiscal freefall—GDP growth at just 4.05 per cent, foreign debt tripled, and the country flirted with bankruptcy after nuclear tests in 1998. India, during the same decade, liberalised its economy in 1991, opening the floodgates to investment, technology and global trade. By the time Pakistan was negotiating its nth IMF tranche, India's GDP growth was comfortably cruising at 6 per cent annually. The Musharraf mirage Enter General Pervez Musharraf in 1999 — the other 'golden era' military ruler economists grudgingly acknowledge. Growth peaked at 8.6 per cent in 2004–05, foreign reserves swelled to $9 billion and debt-to-GDP dropped from 100 per cent to 55 per cent. For a fleeting moment, the dump truck almost resembled a serviceable pickup. But the model was fragile which was consumption-driven, import-heavy and utterly dependent on post-9/11 US aid. When that pipeline slowed, so did the economy. By Musharraf's exit, Pakistan was again struggling to finance even its basic fuel imports. Decade of decay (2008–2018) PPP rule after 2008 brought growth down to an average of 4 per cent, agriculture to 2 per cent. Power shortages crippled industries, inflation soared and debt piled on. The PML-N (2013–2018) managed some stability — GDP growth back to 5 per cent, inflation easing — but only by borrowing heavily from the IMF. In contrast, India during this same period emerged as the fastest-growing major economy, riding the tech boom, manufacturing incentives and infrastructure buildouts. By 2018, India's nominal GDP was over $2.7 trillion while Pakistan's was around $314 billion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Khan catastrophe and Covid collapse Imran Khan promised a 'Naya Pakistan' in 2018, but GDP growth crashed from 5.55 per cent in 2017 to just 0.99 per cent in 2019. Debt ballooned by $70 billion in three years and Covid-19 in 2020 shrank the economy by 6.4 per cent, wiping out millions of jobs. India, too, faced a Covid recession, but by 2022 was already back in high-growth mode, aided by digital adoption and strong exports. Pakistan, meanwhile, was queuing outside the IMF office like a regular at a tea stall. The 2023–2024 currency of crisis By 2023, Pakistan's GDP had fallen to $338.4 billion, inflation hit over 29 per cent and foreign exchange reserves hovered near default territory. Debt servicing consumed nearly half the federal budget, with $23 billion due in external repayments for FY2025–26. The Shehbaz Sharif government's $7 billion IMF bailout in late 2024 was a lifeline—but with austerity conditions that would choke growth. Inflation, however, dropped from 29 per cent to around 4.6 per cent in 2024 and reserves improved to $9.4 billion, but these are band-aid metrics. The fundamentals—low productivity, narrow export base and chronic political instability — remain untouched. India's Mercedes moment While Pakistan tries to keep the dump truck from rolling backward, India has officially overtaken Japan as the world's fourth-largest economy in 2025, with GDP at $4.187 trillion. This is not just size — it's trajectory. India is targeting over 7 per cent growth, driven by manufacturing, services, infrastructure and digitalisation. Initiatives like Make in India, the PLI schemes and massive infrastructure spending have turned India into a magnet for global investment. It has weathered demonetisation, a pandemic and global recessions — and still emerged stronger. Pakistan, in comparison, has averaged around 4 per cent GDP growth over the past two decades, punctuated by repeated IMF rescues. The gap between the Mercedes and the dump truck isn't just cosmetic — it's structural, systemic and widening. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why the dump truck analogy backfires Munir's boast that a dump truck can wreck a Mercedes ignores the basic principle of economics — and physics. The Mercedes is faster, more efficient and designed for long-term performance. The dump truck is slow, inefficient, and, in Pakistan's case, running on loans and donor goodwill. If the dump truck 'hits' the Mercedes — be it via war, sanctions or regional instability — it's Pakistan that risks total economic collapse. With imports covering basics like wheat and fuel, and foreign reserves covering barely two months of imports, Pakistan cannot sustain prolonged confrontation. Meanwhile, India, with diversified trade partners, a over $600 billion forex reserve and global investor confidence, would take a hit but recover. The dump truck, however, would be towed straight to the IMF workshop — for its 24th visit since 1958. Ironically, Munir's latest anti-India outbursts followed India publicly stating that it shot down at least five of Pakistan's fighter jets and also damaged F-16s in hangar during Operation Sindoor. Social media is abuzz reminding Munir of what a 'Mercedes' just did to the 'dump truck'. Munir is about loud speeches, empty wisdom The deeper irony is that the Pakistan military has been one of the biggest players in Pakistan's economic mismanagement and the primary beneficiary of Pakistan's budget revenues. The army controls vast business conglomerates in real estate, energy, agriculture and manufacturing. So, when Munir compares Pakistan to a dump truck, he might be advised to check who's been driving it for most of the past 75 years. Spoiler: it's been men in uniform. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Upgrade or obsolescence? Pakistan's economic journey since 1947 is a story of missed opportunities, political instability and over-reliance on foreign aid. Even its best growth periods — Ayub in the '60s, Zia in the '80s, Musharraf in the 2000s — were built on temporary external inflows rather than sustainable reforms. India's rise to a $4.1 trillion economy is not just the result of size or luck. It's the cumulative effect of decades of policy shifts, institution building and integration into the global economy. The Mercedes keeps upgrading. The dump truck, meanwhile, is still waiting for the next donor to fill the tank.
Indian Express
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Independence Day 2025: Is it India's 78th or 79th Independence Day — check here
Independence Day 2025: With India's Independence Day fast approaching, the country is preparing to observe one of its most significant national observances. India obtained independence on August 15, 1947, marking its first Independence Day, and since then, the country has celebrated the day every year as a reminder of the end of colonial rule and the birth of a sovereign democracy. This historic occasion marked the end of over two centuries of opposition and struggle among millions of Indians who aspired to a free and independent country. The day honours the tremendous sacrifices made by freedom fighters, revolutionaries, and ordinary residents who heroically stood up to the British Empire, enduring immense hardships in the name of their country's freedom. READ | 10 slogans that inspired India's freedom movement Independence Day is a day for reflecting on the responsibilities that come with freedom, as well as a celebration of India's diversity, unity, rich cultural legacy, and national achievements. At first glance, the calculation appears simple. Subtract 1947 from 2025 to obtain 78. That is the number of years since India achieved independence from British colonial rule. However, when it comes to counting Independence Days, the rationale is slightly different, and this is where the confusion arises. Some individuals wrongly assume that if you subtract 1947 from the present year, 2025, India will be 78. While it is correct that 2025 minus 1947 = 78 years, this figure shows the number of completed years of independence, not the number of Independence Days observed. So, what number is this? India celebrated its first Independence Day in 1947, not 1948; hence, the count starts with one rather than zero. As a result, this year, August 15, 2025, India will be celebrating its 79th Independence Day with the country raising its flag to commemorate its struggle for freedom. While there is often uncertainty about this number, it is more than just arithmetic. Independence Day is more than just counting the years; it is about celebrating every year of independence attained, defended, and cherished. The 79th Independence Day falls at a time when India is reflecting on its social and economic growth, and this slight aspect indicates how we learn about and commemorate our past.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Is it India's 79th Independence Day or 78th in 2025? Here's what you need to know
As India gears up to celebrate its next Independence Day on August 15, 2025, a familiar question resurfaces across newsrooms, classrooms, and even social media: Is it the 78th or the 79th Independence Day ? At first glance, the math seems simple. Subtract 1947 from 2025 and you get 78. That's the number of years completed since India gained freedom from British colonial rule. But when it comes to counting Independence Days, the logic works a bit differently, and that's where the confusion begins. So, is this Independence Day number 78 or 79? Let's break it down. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Cybersecurity CXO Management Product Management Data Science Finance Degree Data Science Digital Marketing Project Management Artificial Intelligence Others PGDM Operations Management Data Analytics Design Thinking Leadership Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months MIT xPRO CERT-MIT xPRO PGC in Cybersecurity Starts on undefined Get Details Why the confusion? India gained independence on August 15, 1947. That date marked the country's first Independence Day. Since then, the nation has observed the day every year as a reminder of the end of colonial rule and the birth of a sovereign democracy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here Undo Some people mistakenly believe you should subtract 1947 from the current year, 2025, and say India is turning 78. While it is true that 2025 minus 1947 equals 78 years, that number represents the number of completed years of independence, not the count of the Independence Days observed. Is it India's 79th Independence Day? So, what number is it? India celebrated its 1st Independence Day in 1947, not in 1948. That means the count starts from one, not zero. So: Live Events 1947 – 1st Independence Day 1948 – 2nd ... 2024 – 78th 2025 – 79th Independence Day That's why August 15, 2025, marks the 79th time the country will raise the flag and remember its journey of freedom. Why it matters The confusion over this number is common, but it's more than just arithmetic. Independence Day is not just about marking how many years have passed, it's about honouring every single year of freedom earned, defended, and cherished. The 79th Independence Day also comes at a time when India is reflecting on its progress, both socially and economically. From a newly independent nation grappling with partition and poverty to a global voice in areas like technology, space, and diplomacy, the journey has been remarkable. In schools and media, get it right Whether it's Independence Day speeches in schools, social media posts, or news headlines, it's important to state it correctly. 2025 marks the 79th Independence Day, and the country will complete 78 years of independence. It's a small detail, but one that reflects how we understand and honour our history.
