India's Independence Day (Hindi: Swatantrata Divas) is celebrated on August 15th to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on August 15th, 1947. The day, which is a national holiday in India is celebrated all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony and distribution of sweets. The main celebration takes place in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister raises the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from the ramparts of the Fort.
The National Flag of India, which symbolises Freedom is in tricolour (TIRANGA) of deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal propotions. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three.
In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. This center symbol or the 'Chakra', is a Buddhist symbol dating back to 200th century BC. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes, which intends to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation. The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.
