3 weeks ago
Sucheta Kripalani Sang the Nation Awake on Independence Day
The very first Independence Day in India was like the birthday of a brand-new country.
On the night before, the leaders who had helped India become free gathered in a big hall called the Constituent Assembly.
The President announced that the first thing on the agenda was to sing a special song called Vande Mataram.
A woman named Sucheta Kripalani stood up and sang it in front of everyone.
She also sang the opening lines of Sare Jahan Se Achha and the first verse of Jana Gana Mana.
Everybody in the hall stood and listened quietly.
Only after she finished singing did the leader Jawaharlal Nehru stand up to speak.
For many years, Vande Mataram had been the battle cry of the freedom movement.
Sucheta Kripalani's voice carried that song into the new, free India.
Sucheta Kripalani sang the first verse of Vande Mataram at the Constituent Assembly on the eve of India's first Independence Day.
She also sang the opening lines of Sare Jahan Se Achha and the first verse of Jana Gana Mana.
The President announced the singing as the first item on the session's agenda, and the House rose to listen.
Jawaharlal Nehru rose to speak only after Sucheta Kripalani finished singing.
Vande Mataram had been the battle cry of the freedom struggle for decades, and she carried it into free India.
The exact sequence of events is preserved in the official record of the Constituent Assembly.
- Who
- Sucheta Kripalani sang, with Jawaharlal Nehru and the gathered members of the Constituent Assembly present.
- What
- She sang the first verse of Vande Mataram, the opening lines of Sare Jahan Se Achha, and the first verse of Jana Gana Mana at the Constituent Assembly session.
- Where
- At the session of the Constituent Assembly, as recorded in its official record.
- When
- On the eve of India's first Independence Day.
- Why
- The singing was the first item on the agenda to mark the eve of freedom, and Vande Mataram had long been the battle cry of the freedom struggle.
Key facts
- Event
- Constituent Assembly session on the eve of India's first Independence Day
- Singer
- Sucheta Kripalani
- Songs performed
- Vande Mataram (first verse), Sare Jahan Se Achha (opening lines), Jana Gana Mana (first verse)
- Order of proceedings
- Singing took place before Jawaharlal Nehru's speech
- Source
- Official record of the Constituent Assembly
- Significance of Vande Mataram
- Battle cry of the freedom struggle for decades
Sources
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