https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Why Freedom At Midnight?

India’s iconic ‘Freedom at Midnight’ emerged from a unique blend of history and tradition—merging Mountbatten’s chosen date with an astrological solution to mark an auspicious dawn.
Indian Masterminds Stories

On the occasion of the 78th anniversary celebrations of our Independence, or Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, as it is now called, inevitably, one is reminded of the celebrations during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations 28 years ago. One tends to remember the many midnight functions organised then to mark our ‘Freedom at Midnight‘ and the concomitant inconveniences one had to go through, groggy-eyed! Mercifully, this time around, we are spared such nocturnal celebrations, but the question that continues to be asked is, why on earth did we choose to be free at an unearthly hour? Was it by choice or by compulsion? What was special about that midnight hour for our “tryst with destiny”? Have you ever wondered? And thereby hangs a little tale, not widely known, that I will recount below.

To answer these questions, I need to jog my memories back to the 1980s, when, as a research scholar in JNU, I had a gap year. Having completed the coursework for an M.Phil with a high grade point, I was eligible for a direct Ph.D (for which I registered, though it was not a priority for me then), but was underage to appear for the Civil Services Exam. As I was relatively free, my Professor and guide asked me to help the internationally celebrated authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (of ‘Freedom at Midnight’ fame) to edit the personal papers and private documents of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, which they had collected for their best-selling publication. That’s how I was swamped by huge loads of material, which I had to ferret out for new publications, later brought out in two separate volumes, viz, ‘Mountbatten and the Partition of India’ and ‘Mountbatten and Independent India.’

That is when I stumbled upon an interesting interview of Lord Mountbatten by the authors of the book during their course of research for the international bestseller, Freedom at Midnight. The recorded interview was published in the first part of the new publication, Mountbatten and the Partition of India. Let’s hear from the horse’s mouth, as it were, as Mountbatten recollects in these excerpts from his interview, characterised by his trademark arrogance and insouciance:

Q. The ceremony of August 15 had no precedent. Who invented it, engineered it?

A. Well, I discussed it with Nehru. The first and most amusing thing, of course, is that I had selected August 15 because it was the date of the Japanese surrender, which had only taken place, don’t forget, two years ago – but I hadn’t consulted the astrologers.

As you know, the Indians are riddled with astrology. I didn’t realise it. On an inauspicious day, one could do nothing. Well, Nehru didn’t believe in astrology, but he said so many people did, and that I’d chosen an inauspicious day. I suppose it was silly of me not to consult the astrologers, but I had forgotten.

 He said, “Never mind. If you agree that we can have a midnight meeting, and just before midnight strikes, we’ll transfer power; that’ll be all the more auspicious.”

And I thought – what a marvellous, dramatic idea, having a midnight meeting while the rest of the world sleeps – and you’ll remember … This was done, not because we wanted a dramatic moment, but because I’d chosen the wrong day! Because the astrologers said it wasn’t propitious!”

So there you are …That is how we were saddled forever by freedom at midnight, as an uncomfortable compromise between Viceregal arrogance and astrological adjustment, or upay, as it’s often called. While the date was fixed arbitrarily by an egotistical Viceroy, what is surprising is that the Indian leaders, rather meekly, submitted to his whims and fancies! When Nehru broached it with other leaders, apparently, there was stiff resistance, particularly from Sardar Patel and JB Kripalani, who wanted to avoid the inauspicious day. Eventually, it was left to an ingenious astrological subterfuge to resolve this conundrum. This is how it was done.

As per the Hindu calendar of tithis (days as per solar/lunar cycle), the date begins at sunrise, while as per the Western (Gregorian) calendar, the date begins at midnight. This crucial difference afforded a slim window of opportunity to work out an astrological solution (uapay) to this difficult dilemma. As per the astrologers, the 15th of August,1947, which fell on the 14th day (chaturdashi) of the dark fortnight (krishna paksha), with the most inauspicious new moon day (amavasya) setting in too, had to be avoided by all means. Thus, as per the innovative compromise formula, this could be achieved by avoiding the sunrise of the 15th of Aug, thereby avoiding the inauspicious dark chaturdashi/amavasya. But as per the Gregorian calendar, the 15th would begin after midnight. So it was an ingenious tightrope walk that necessitated this midnight ceremony, and the rest is history…

This apparently win-win formula was actually a difficult compromise that was more out of compulsion than choice. We had no choice when confronted by a supercilious Viceroy’s arbitrary choice of date, which smacked of scant disregard for people’s sentiments. But what was indeed disappointing was the meek submission of Indian leaders to his whims and fancies and their going out of their way to adjust to his peccadillos.

Thus, Freedom at Midnight became our “tryst with destiny,” and over time, it became a symbol of the dramatic transfer of power emulated in some other colonial countries like Hong Kong. For us, however, it remains a story of queer compromise that defined the dilemma of our country during the initial years after independence, that lingers on in more ways than one.

(The author is a retired Special Chief Secretary of Telangana, and the views are his personal. He can be reached at [email protected])


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Indian Knowledge Systems
Teachers Empowered to Champion India’s Indigenous Knowledge: National Workshop Unveils Bold Communication Drive
CM Maiyya Samman Yojana
CM Maiyya Samman Yojana: Jharkhand Transfers Rs. 97 Crore to Women to Celebrate Diwali & Chhath with Financial Strength
Yogi Adityanth
1,000 Quintals of Hope: UP CM Yogi Adityanath Backs Punjab Farmers with Flood Relief Seeds
Bihar Election 2025
CM Nitish Kumar Goes All In for Bihar 2025: 1 Crore Jobs, Women’s Start-Up Grants, and NDA Muscle on Display
Nitish Kumar
CM Nitish Kumar’s Development Card: Massive Welfare Push Targets Youth, Women Ahead of Bihar Elections
Justice Yashwant Varma Cash Row
Big Move in Justice Yashwant Varma Cash Row: Advocate Karan Umesh Salvi Joins Inquiry Team
Vishnu Deo Sai CM
“Naxal-Free by 2026”: Chhattisgarh CM and Governor Hail Police Bravery, Pledge Stronger Action Against Maoist Insurgency
CM Bhupendra Patel
Green Road Revolution: Gujarat CM Launches High-Speed, Climate-Smart Corridors to Power Growth & Connectivity
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
IDES Saquib Alam
Beyond IAS and IPS: The Inspiring Work of an IDES officer | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Indian Knowledge Systems
Teachers Empowered to Champion India’s Indigenous Knowledge: National Workshop Unveils Bold Communication Drive
CM Maiyya Samman Yojana
CM Maiyya Samman Yojana: Jharkhand Transfers Rs. 97 Crore to Women to Celebrate Diwali & Chhath with Financial Strength
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
IDES Saquib Alam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT