Why was August 15 chosen as Independence Day? India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort.In 1929, when Jawaharlal Nehru as Congress President gave the call for ‘Poorna Swaraj’ or total independence from British colonial rule, January 26 was chosen as the Independence Day. In fact, Congress party continued to celebrate it 1930 on wards, till India attained independence and January 26, 1950 was chosen as the Republic Day – the day India formally became a sovereign country and was no longer a British Dominion. So how did August 15 become India’s independence day? Well, Lord Mountbatten had been given a mandate by the British parliament to transfer the power by June 30, 1948. If he had waited till June 1948, in C Rajagopalachari’s memorable words, there would have been no power left to transfer. Mountbatten thus advanced the date to August 1947.  At that time, Mountba...