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It rained very heavily in Kochi on August 15, 1947. But that did not matter. Seventy nine years ago, to the day, bells rang all over the city, in schools and colleges, temples and churches, while the ships in the harbour, factories and mills sounded sirens to announce India's independence.
How Kochi celebrated Independence Day on August 15, 1947, a day marked by heavy rain
It rained very heavily in Kochi on August 15, 1947. But that did not matter. Seventy nine years ago, to the day, bells rang all over the city, in schools and colleges, temples and churches, while the ships in the harbour, factories and mills sounded sirens to announce India's independence.
“Interestingly, the Indian flag was not hoisted at any official building in Thiruvananthapuram but the YMCA. In Kochi, the flag was hoisted at the Durbar Hall grounds, Ernakulam, by the Elaya Raja Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran,” says Balagopal Varma, city historian. The Maharaja of Cochin at the time was Aikya Keralam Thampuran.
A news item in The Hindu, dated August 15, 1947, about the reforms proposed by the Maharaja of Cochin to the State Council
Grainy photographs from the day, published in the September edition of Cochin Information (archived by Granthappura, the Kerala Digital Archive) a magazine published by the Government of Cochin, show a river of black umbrellas on the road as a large crowd makes its way to Rajendra Maidan, unbothered by the rain. “The processions started from Durbar Hall in the evening and terminated at Rajendra Maidan where a public meeting was held,” says Rajith Nair, a history enthusiast who is co-authoring a book on Kochi and the Cochin Royal Family.
An advertisement to visit Kochi that appeared in the August 15, 1947 issue of The Hindu
That day two flags were hoisted — of the Indian Union and the Cochin State — at the same level, not higher or lower than the other. The Elaya Raja declared, as he hoisted the flags, “As a symbol of the Union of the State of Cochin with the Dominion Government and the independence of our State, let us fly the Dominion Flag and the State Flag at the same level.” He concluded the speech with “Jai Hind! Jai Cochin!”
Interestingly the two flags were hoisted at all government buildings, educational institutions, homes, shops and other establishments such as the Town Hall and Maharaja's College, to name a few, across the city. Flag hoisting ceremonies were held at Mattancherry, Thrissur, Irinjalakuda, Talappalli and Chittoor.
Rajith says, “There was a 19 gun salute. The procession comprised Girl Guides and Boy Scouts, elephants, panchavadyam, bands and more.” There is a reference to ‘Muslim pipes' (in the Cochin Information article) also being part of the procession, which, Rajith guesses, could be a wind instrument like a shehnai. That is not all, there were fireworks and public meetings too to celebrate the event. A snake boat race planned for the day was cancelled on account of the heavy downpour.
As part of his research for his book, Rajith has come across references to the day, which impresses upon us what the day meant. “One of the reminiscences I came across was by one Krishna Rao, who said that his history teacher told the class that it rained so heavily in order to wash off 150-odd years of slavery!”
Just a day before, on August 14, 1947, the Maharaja sent a message to the Legislative Council, informing them of the accession of the Cochin State to the Indian Federation. He wrote, “In my view it is essential for the strength and prosperity of India that all units of the Indian Federation should as far as possible have uniform systems of administration. Therefore I am passing all departments except Devaswam [sic], Police, Jail and State Forces to Ministers under the Government of Cochin Act.”
In that message, the Maharaja also declared he was prepared to act as a constitutional ruler. Wheels were set rolling on several other constitutional changes [for the Cochin State] followed, the significant ones being the abolition of the Diwanship and the establishment of the Public Service Commission.
The Durbar Hall Ground has witnessed several public events, but the first Independence Day celebration, would remain the most cherished of them all.
Published - August 14, 2025 09:27 pm IST
The Hindu MetroPlus / Independence Day
Source: The Hindu
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