Why Red Fort is venue for PM's Independence Day speech
Every year, on August 15, the Prime Minister of India hoists the national flag and addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi. On Thursday, current Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag to mark India's 78th Independence Day. This tradition was started by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1947. But why was Red Fort chosen as the venue for this significant event? Let's delve into history to find out.
Red Fort's historical significance in India
Red Fort has held a significant place in Indian history since the Mughal era. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to act as a fort-palace for his capital, Shahjahanabad. The Fort is considered the apogee of Mughal architecture. Located in Delhi, a city that has been a center of power since the 13th century, Red Fort symbolizes the nation's long struggle for freedom and its emergence as a sovereign state.
Delhi: A center of power since the 13th century
Delhi emerged as a major capital under the Delhi Sultanate (1206-1506), during the reign of Qutubuddin Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave or Mamluk dynasty. Babur, the first Mughal ruler, referred to Delhi as the "capital of all Hindustan" after he started ruling in 1526. Although Akbar shifting his capital to Agra temporarily, Delhi remained the center of rule. Under Shah Jahan's rule, Delhi once again became the capital of the Mughal empire and was renamed Shahjahanabad in 1648.
Red Fort: The citadel of Shahjahanabad
The Fort served as the citadel of Shahjahanabad until 1857. Even when Mughal rule diminished, Delhi was viewed as their source of legitimate sovereign authority. During the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, rebels also declared the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as their king at Red Fort. After suppressing the 1857 rebellion, the British initially planned to demolish Shahjahanabad. While they destroyed the Akbarabadi mosque and Urdu Bazaar, they spared the fort. However, 80% of the monument's inner structures were destroyed.
Red Fort under British rule
During the final stages of the Freedom Movement, Subhash Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army (INA) marched toward Delhi from the Burmese border with Japanese support. When their efforts failed, senior INA officers were publicly tried at the Red Fort. These trials further cemented Red Fort's image as a symbol of power and resistance in the minds of Indians. In 1947, Nehru decided to hoist the flag over the Red Fort.
'Necessary that the site of Red Fort be symbolically reclaimed'
Historian Swapna Liddle wrote in The Indian Express, "With the coming of Independence, it was necessary that the site of the Red Fort, over which the British colonial government had sought to inscribe its power and might, be symbolically reclaimed for the Indian people."
