• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Search
  • Things To Do in NYC
  • Art
  • Dance
  • Festivals
  • Film
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Theatre
New York Latin Culture Magazine®

New York Latin Culture Magazine®

World-class Indigenous, European & African Culture since 2012

  • New York
  • Latin
  • Culture
  • Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Sponsor

Indian Independence Day in New York City


Indian Independence Day (from the United Kingdom) is August 15, 1947; the day when the Indian Independence Act of 1947 became law.

Indian Independence Day Celebrations

Indian Independence Day at the Red Fort in New Delhi (Asian Traveler/Dreamstime)
Indian Independence Day at the Red Fort in New Delhi (Asian Traveler/Dreamstime)

New York City’s big Indian Independence Day celebration is the India Day Parade. The Battery Dance Festival includes a day of Indian classical dance.

In India

2024 is India’s 78th Independence Day. In India, the year’s official theme is “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India). It’s the government’s vision to further develop the country by India’s Independence Centennial in 2047. The world’s most populous country has the potential to be one of the world’s leading modern countries.

Indian Independence Day

India carries the heritage of one of the world’s great ancient civilizations. It began in the Indus Valley and reached a high period around 2,600 BCE. India is a land of many religions, including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and many Indigenous religions.

India was the world’s richest country until the British came, enslaved the people, and stole everything they could. British India included what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Though not part of India proper, British India also included Ceylon and Afghanistan. Today, we call the entire region South Asia.

When human slavery was abolished in 1833, the British brought many Indians to work in the Caribbean as indentured servants. Some came as business people and professionals as well. This continued until 1920, and is how Indians became Latin, or Indo-Caribbean.

In Hindi, Indian Independence Day is Swatantrata Diwas. It was the culmination of a long struggle against 90 years of British colonial rule that began with incursions by the British East India Company in 1611. Until recently, historians painted a picture of colonization as something noble. In fact, being colonized was an apocalyptic hell of abuse, thievery, rape, enslavement, and murder. The colonized everywhere fought back. The first major revolt was the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The Indian independence movement developed in 1885.

Britain, weakened by World War II, decided to decolonize. The collapse of the British Empire created problems in many parts of the world that is still trouble us. Britain partitioned British India into the Dominion of Pakistan on August 14, 1947, and the Union of India on August 15, 1947. Native police and the military immediately started fighting along religious lines leading to terrible communal violence and one of the biggest mass migrations in modern history.

It was a mess, but at least the countries of South Asia gained there sovereignty.


Published August 14, 2024 ~ Updated August 14, 2024.

Filed Under: August, FESTIVALS, Indian, Travel

Subscribe

Get New York Latin Culture Magazine weekly in your email. We don’t share, rent, or sell addresses. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Primary Sidebar

Things to Do in NYC

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Spanish Classical Music

Teatro Real, Royal Opera of Madrid Orchestra Gala Musical Fantasy From Spain (Teatro Real)

Teatro Real, the Royal Opera of Madrid Orchestra, Plays a Gala Musical Fantasy From Spain Featuring Violinist María Dueñas, Soprano Saioa Hernández, and Conductor David Afkham

African, Middle Eastern, Latin American Film

Nova Frontier Film Festival (Harlem Stage)

Nova Frontier Film Festival Screens Films of the African Diaspora, Middle East, and Latin America with Talk, Live Music and Community at Harlem Stage

Nuestros Sonidos Latin Culture

Nuestros Sonidos at Carnegie Hall (Sol Cotti)

Carnegie Hall’s “Nuestros Sonidos” (Our Sounds) Festival of Latin Culture

Theatre Professionals ~ Employers Network

Find your next project. Discover your next team. Do it on RISE.

Sponsored By The Best Of New York

92nd Street Y, New York

Capulli Mexican Dance Company 🇲🇽

Brooklyn Museum

Carnegie Hall

Harlem Stage

Hostos Center

Melvis Santa & Jazz Orishas 🇨🇺

Metropolitan Opera

National Indigenous Peoples of the Americas Parade 🇺🇸

New York City Center

NYU Skirball Center

RISE Theatre Directory

Teatro Real ~ Royal Opera of Madrid 🇪🇸

World Music Institute

Footer

Search

Things to do in NYC

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

New York City

Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island ~ New Jersey

Latin Music and Dance

Bachata, Ballet, Cumbia, Classical, Flamenco, Hip Hop, House, Jazz, Merengue, Modern Dance, Opera, Pop, Reggaeton, Regional Mexican, Rock, Salsa, Samba, Tango, World Music

North American

African American, Honduran, Indigenous, Jewish, Mexican

Caribbean

Cuban, Dominican, Haitian, Puerto Rican, Trinidadian

South American

Argentine, Bolivian, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Venezuelan

African

African American, Nigerian, South African

European

French, Portuguese, Spanish

Follow

X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, YouTube, TikTok

Subscribe

Get New York Latin Culture Magazine in your email

advertise

Sponsor

Details

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy

New York Latin Culture Magazine® and Tango Beat® are registered trademarks, and New York Latin Culture™ is a trademark of Keith Widyolar. Other marks are the property of their respective holders.

Copyright © 2012–2025 New York Latin Culture Magazine®. All Rights Reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we assume you are ok with it.Ok