Pune, 15 August 2025: On 15 August 1947, as India finally broke free from British colonial rule after nearly 150 years, Pune embraced the dawn of freedom with unmatched enthusiasm.
Across the city, streets such as Laxmi Road, Shivajinagar Road, Wednesday Peth, and Station Road were adorned with colourful arches, flags, and banners declaring the nation’s independence. Many decorations featured bright electric lights and fresh flowers, creating a festive glow that lasted for three days and nights.
The Pune Municipal Corporation illuminated key landmarks, including Shaniwarwada, Mahatma Phule Mandai, and its own headquarters. Cinema halls, theatres, shops, banks, and offices, both government and private, joined in with their own lighting displays.
At the stroke of midnight, the national flag was hoisted at the Collector’s Office by the District Collector, while at Shaniwarwada, revolutionary leader Krantisinh Nana Patil raised the tricolour. The act carried deep symbolism, once the site where the British had lowered the Maratha flag to mark their victory, Shaniwarwada now saw the Indian flag rise high, signalling the end of British rule.
The celebrations spilled into every corner of the city. Some hotels served free tea, grain mills offered complimentary grinding, tailors provided free ironing, and photographers clicked portraits without charge. Theatres distributed sweets and coconuts to audiences, while schools and colleges organised parades, speeches, and cultural performances for children.
In many neighbourhoods, traders and residents arranged community meals, devotional programs, bhajans, and kirtans. A towering 100-foot flagpole was erected in front of Shaniwarwada to display the new national flag. Adding to the day’s historic significance, 630 prisoners, both political and social offenders, were released from Yerwada Jail, marking a symbolic gesture of freedom alongside the nation’s own liberation.
Pune’s celebrations on that day not only marked the birth of an independent India but also stitched together history, symbolism, and a shared spirit of joy that would be remembered for generations.