Patna (Bihar): Most cities in India wake up to the sight of the Tricolour on the morning of August 15. But in one corner of Bihar, the national flag is hoisted before the rest of the country has even gone to sleep. Independence Day begins in Purnia not at sunrise, but in the first moments after midnight on August 14. The tradition is as old as freedom itself and is tied to the very hour India was born as an independent nation.
On the night of August 14, 1947, the country held its breath. All India Radio prepared to broadcast the most important message in its history. At exactly one minute past midnight, the voice on the airwaves announced that India was free.
In Purnia, freedom fighter Rameshwar Prasad Singh was ready. With his companions Ramratan Sah and Shamshul Haq, he walked to a spot in the heart of the town that is now known as Jhanda Chowk. In the dim glow of lanterns, the trio hoisted the new national flag there.
“At exactly 12:01 a.m., they hoisted the Tricolour and distributed sweets,” say locals who heard the story from those who were there.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and in that moment, the people of Purnia tasted freedom for the first time.
Social worker Dilip Kumar Deepak still shares the story with pride. “On the night of August 14, 1947, as soon as the radio announced Lord Mountbatten’s declaration making India a free republic, leaders like Rameshwar Prasad Singh and Sati Nath Bhaduri became so excited that they went straight to the chowk and raised the flag at 12:01 a.m. That is how this place got its name,” he narrated.
The memory of that night has never faded. Singh’s family has kept the ritual alive for nearly eight decades. Each year, as the clock strikes 12 on August 14, residents gather at Jhanda Chowk. The flag rises once more under the same night sky, as the national anthem plays. Locals see it as a living connection to the exact moment India broke free from colonial rule.
The sights and sounds of that night remain vivid for Singh’s grandson, Vipul Kumar Singh. “The glow of the petromax lamps lit the square. The sound of the national anthem echoed across the Seemanchal region. As soon as the flag was hoisted, the jalebi (a sweet) shop at Bhattabazar began frying fresh sweets. Around four 400 kilograms of jalebis were distributed that night. That shop still stands as a witness to history,” he narrated.
The ceremony is simple, without a grand stage or spotlight. People stand close together, their faces lit by street lamps and moonlight. Someone hums a patriotic tune. Boxes of sweets pass from hand to hand.
Locals say only Wagah on the India-Pakistan border shares such a custom, where the Tricolour is raised in the dark in tribute to that first hour of independence.
Now, residents want Jhanda Chowk to be formally recognised. “This is a historic location. It should be given the status of a state heritage site. We have put our demand before MPs, MLAs and ministers. Promises are made during elections, but it has not been fulfilled. For us, the real Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav will be when Jhanda Chowk gets that honour,” Singh said.
In 2025, the nation will celebrate its 79th Independence Day, counting from 1947 as the first year. In Purnia, it will once again begin early. A few minutes past midnight, the Tricolour will climb the pole in the silence of darkness, and for a moment, the people will step back into history as they did in 1947.