Mahatma Gandhi could not celebrate the first Independence Day in Delhi. Here's why

India celebrating its 75th year of independence on August 15, 2021.

After years of brutal British tyranny, our compatriots finally breathed free air in 1947.

On this date, Jawaharlal Nehru gave his first public speech in free India.

However, where was Mahatma Gandhi on that particular day?

Even as the country celebrated its hard-won independence on August 15, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, was fasting in Bengal to put a stop to the Hindu-Muslim violence.

He was on a hunger strike in Kolkata, distant from the hard-won independence celebrations in Delhi.

When the day of independence finally arrived on August 15, 1947, it was celebrated across the country.

In Calcutta, however, Mahatma Gandhi was concerned and working hard to put a stop to the bloodshed brought on by the division.

Mahatma Gandhi had stated, "To me, peace between Hindus and Muslims is more essential than the proclamation of independence."

Mahatma Gandhi wanted to go to Noakhali, which is now part of Bangladesh because it had become a gruesome hotspot of sectarian violence.

However, several local leaders persuaded Mahatma Gandhi to remain in Calcutta.

Local authorities informed Mahatma Gandhi that if he could restore peace to Calcutta, the entire Bengal across the dividing line would return to normality and harmony.