By Uma Purkayastha
Polo Ground was chock-a-block with people before Sir Akbari Hydari, the Governor arrived to Assam Police pipe band’s rendering of ‘The Royal Salute’. At the stroke of 10, Premier Gopinath Bardoloi went up the flag stand.
As he gently hoisted the National Tricolour, the Union Jack that had been fluttering in the morning sun came down from the other end of the rope. The people sprang in jubilation and thundering applause rode the air to travel beyond the ground.
Shillong, then the capital of undivided Assam, wore a festive look on August 15, 1947, revelling in the freshly-won freedom from British rule.
The event was also memorable for a few confined within the four walls – 418 patients in TB Hospital, Civil Hospital, Ganesh Das Hospital, Welsh Mission Hospital and Police Hospital and 47 prison inmates. Along with 9,265 children in the town’s 51 schools, they received packets of sweets and snacks on August 16 to celebrate freedom.
Distribution of sweets was item number 3 in the list of programmes for the National Flag hoisting at Polo Ground. The order was placed at 11 outlets for the supply of the sweets-and-snacks packets, each containing a roshogolla, a sandesh, a nimki and a samosa. The price per packet: 7 annas, which worked out to 43.75 paise.
The school authorities were requested to collect the packets for the children from the designated sweetmeat outlets near the school. Provincial Commissioner G.A. Small, Rev Brother J.I. O’Leary, Rev T.B. Phillips and D. Franklin were tasked with distributing the food packets at the hospitals and jail.
The National Flag had been flying high from the sunrise on August 15 at all public buildings, according to a decision at a special meeting convened to chalk out the two-day Independence Day programme.
“It was decided that the Union Jack, wherever it normally flies, will be taken down as usual at sunset of August 14, 1947, and will not be hoisted ever again in Indian soil. At sunrise on the 15th, the National Flag of India will be hoisted on all public buildings… No other flag, other than the National Flag of the Union shall be displayed on or near any public building or in any public procession or meeting on August 15 and 16, 1947,” wrote Kalpana Gupta, Assam’s first woman journalist in her book ‘My Dream My Motherland’.
The celebration followed the schedule to the ‘T’. Sir Hydari inspected the parade after Bardoloi unfurled the National Flag. Brigadier G.A. Bain commanded the march past of the Army, Air Force and police personnel besides the Scouts comprising 56 boys.
Free cinema shows at 1 pm and 4 pm for children at the Garrison Theatre and Singhania Talkies followed. The free shows for adults were organised at Kelvin and Bijou Cinema.
The Governor presided over a public meeting at 5:30 pm on the ground in front of All Saints’ Church. Apart from Bardoloi, the speakers included Rev J.J.M. Nichols Roy, who also led a mass prayer, Syed Muhammad Saadulla, F.A. Ahmed and Debeshwar Sharma, the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Chief engineer P.S. Guha and publicity officer R.R. Goswami were in charge of illuminating Shillong and organising a firework show near Ward’s Lake from 7 pm on August 15. The day’s programmes ended with feeding the poor and children at the Nongthymmai mosque and free movie shows from 9 pm at all the cinema halls.
The second day’s programmes began with a spinning exhibition and demonstration from 9:30 am at the Assam Club followed by a procession of school children from their respective schools to the ground of the All Saints’ Church for a parade.
After the distribution of sweets to the children and jail and hospital inmates, a sports competition for children and an archery contest were organised at Polo Ground.
That evening was the time for the dances of Assam. The Syiem of Mylliem arranged the Khasi dance while the Publicity Department arranged the dances of Assamese, Naga, Lushai and other communities. An exhibition football match followed 15 minutes later.
The other programmes that evening included a concert at St Edmund’s College by the students’ union, songs and dances on “Glimpses of the cultural diversity of Assam” and Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” were staged. The Assam Club hosted a cultural programme, including a Hindi drama titled ‘Dhruva’ by Hindustani Prachar Samiti.
During the parade on August 15, the Army had three contingents – one comprising British officers and soldiers, another of black soldiers from the African colonies of the British and the third of officers and soldiers of the Assam Rifles.
“All the programmes went off perfectly. Our hearts were filled with peace, blessedness and fulfilment. We prayed to God to show us the way, give us the strength to make our dear motherland the most prosperous country. Let non-violence, tolerance, peace and love be the guiding principle of our people. Let there be no hunger, no illiteracy, no ill-health, no injustice in any corner of our sacred land,” Gupta, who had written this account ‘My Mother, My Motherland’ in her eighties, said recalling those two unforgettable days.