Kites and pigeons fill the sky above Jama Masjid on Independence day, in Delhi

From the archive record

15th August 2012, New Delhi: Pigeons personify the freedom that Indians do not have, what with sectarian violence and religious strife all across our country and residents of north-east India fleeing Bangalore and Pune in fear of their lives! India is more challenged today than it has ever been before, with a lack of governance and leadership... The Independence Day of India, celebrated on 15 August, is a holiday commemorating India's independence from the British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on 15 August 1947. India achieved independence following the Indian independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress. The independence coincided with the partition of India wherein the British Indian Empire wa