Reliance Preview Offer Available For All Smartphone - Update

Reliance Jio 4G Preview Offer is now open to customers of all 4G smartphones from Gionee, Lava, and Karbonn. The offer was initially restricted to LYF mobiles by Reliance. The company has since made it available for companies like Samsung, LG, Panasonic, YU and Micromax.

As per Jio’s preview offer, customers get unlimited access to Jio’s 4G service for 90 days from the activation of the SIM. The services of the offer include 4G-LTE services, including unlimited HD voice and video calls, unlimited high-speed data, unlimited SMS and a host of Jio apps like JioOnDemand, JioBeats, JioPlay, JioMags, JioMoney and more.

Users of all 4G smartphones of the three brands can avail the Jio Preview Offer at their nearest Reliance Digital stores, which include Digital Xpress Mini and Digital Xpress. The offer will also be available with select other smartphone retail stores across the country. Customers can get the Jio SIM upon submitting their KYC documents at the time of purchase of their smartphones.

Lava has announced that the offer is available on all its 4G smartphones including the newly launched Lava X81, Lava X50, Lava X38 and Lava A76. To avail the offer, those with these phones will have to download the MyJio app from.

hit the “Get Jio SIM” to generate a coupon code with a period of validity. Users will need to visit their nearest Reliance Digital stores & Digital Mini stores with their phones to redeem the coupon code.

Reliance Jio 4G was initially launched by the company for its employees in a test phase, which was later extended to family members, friends, and vendors. The offer has since opened up to LYF smartphones, and users of smartphones from select companies. The company recently announced the preview offer for Alcatel, Asus, and TCL devices.

Reliance Jio Preview Offer is also available with JioFi (Wi-Fi hotspot device). JioFi is a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that works with the Jio 4G sim and is priced at Rs 2,899.

Sunday, Reliance Jio 4G Preview offer is now available for all 4G-enabled smartphones. "The offer has been extended to virtually every 4G-compatible handset out there, but, a broader roll-out will take at least a week," is what we reported. And it's true, only that the same hasn't been announced officially. Instead of going for the full blow in one go, Reliance Jio seems to be taking it step by step. Jio Preview was initially opened for Samsung phones. Then LG joined the bandwagon. Panasonic and Asus have also joined in. And now the offer has been rolled out for all 4G-enabled Micromax and Yu smartphones.

All 4G LTE-enabled Micromax and Yu phone users are now eligible to get a free Jio SIM and avail free unlimited access to Jio's Digital Life -- HD voice call, HD video call, apps, data and SMS -- for 90 days. 

"With this partnership with Jio, we aim to help the Indian consumers unlock the true potential of 4G in India. Going forward, we expect a significant part of our smartphone sales to come from the 4G smartphones which will further strengthen our leadership in the integrated smart devices category in India," Shubhajit Sen, chief marketing officer, Micromax Informatics said while commenting on the partnership.

Under the Preview offer, consumers who purchase a Micromax 4G smartphone will get a free Reliance Jio 4G SIM and complementary access to unlimited HD voice, video calling, unlimited SMS, unlimited high-speed data services, and access to Jio Apps, the company said in a press statement.

Existing users can meanwhile get their free Jio SIM by generating relevant Preview code on their phones using the My Jio app.

The same is true for all Yu smartphone. To recall, Yu is an online-only subsidiary of Micromax.

"As a new age brand, we have been future ready and have introduced all phones that are 4G compatible. With this preview offer our consumers will be able to enjoy the 4G benefits like never before," Shubhodip Pal, COO, YU Televentures said.

We expect other brands will likely follow suit in the days to come. It was only a matter of time that they did. With a broader roll-out (to all 4G-enabled smartphones) Reliance Jio is clearly going for the kill. At the same time, this also means that an official roll-out of Jio services may just be around the corner.

Reliance Jio preview Offer Will This SmartPhones

Reliance Jio appears to be gearing up for a full scale commercial launch of its 4Gand VoLTE services. This week the free 4G Jio SIM offer was extended to all Samsung and LG smartphones with 4G capabilities. Now according to reports on Twitter, it would appear the Jio SIM can be freely purchased from the store by anyone who has a 4G smartphone, which is not a Samsung or LG or Lyf phone. One tweet shows a screenshot of an Excel sheet where it claims the 4G Jio preview offer is now open for all 4G-capable smartphones.

However JioCare has also issued a response on Twitter saying the 4G Preview offer is only limited to Samsung and LG smartphones. Reliance Jio’s tweet reads, “Currently Jio SIM is only available with LYF smartphones & select Samsung models. Stay tuned for future updates.” The tweet doesn’t make it clear if  offer will be expanded beyond Samsung or LG phones, but given that Reliance has extended the list of devices which can get the Jio SIM, it won’t be surprising if new announcements are made soon.

It was earlier reported the Jio 4G SIM preview offer will be extended to Apple iPhones as well, though that has not happened so far. In our own case, we’ve been able to run the Jio 4G SIM from a Lyf phone on a Redmi 3S Prime (data only) as well as iPhone 6s, though we did this only for a brief period. Interestingly one of the sales representatives at a Digital Xpress Mini store told us explicitly that we should not run the Jio SIM on a non-LYF/non-Samsung/LG smartphone.

For Samsung and LG smartphones users, they will have to download the MyJio app and generate a code. After that go to a Reliance Digital or Digital Xpress Mini store with your identity proof and address proof, and purchase the Jio 4G SIM. Users will need to carry the code generated on their eligible device as well.

On the Reliance Jio website it says users will get “interim benefits of 2GB Data, 100 minutes voice / video and 100 SMS will get credited in your account,” once tele-verification is done. However the full Reliance Jio 4G preview offer will give a user unlimited HD Voice and Video calling, unlimited SMS, unlimited High-Speed Data, and free data on Jio apps. The benefits last for 90 days.

For those who don’t have a VoLTE capable smartphone, they will need to download the JioJoin app to make calls.

List of Samsung devices eligible for Reliance Jio 4G offer are: Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5, Galaxy A5 2016, Galaxy A5 Duos, Galaxy A7, Galaxy A7 2016, Galaxy A8, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Core Prime, Galaxy Grand Max, Galaxy J max, Galaxy J1 Ace, Samsung Galaxy J1 Ace, Galaxy J2, Galaxy J2 (2016), Galaxy J2 Pro, Galaxy J3, Galaxy J5, Galaxy J5 (2016), Galaxy J7, Galaxy J7 (2016), Galaxy K Zoom, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Note 5 Duos, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy S 5 Plus, Galaxy S4, GALAXY S4 4G, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5 Neo, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Grand Prime, ON5, ON5 Pro, ON7 and ON7 Pro.

The below LG devices are part of the Jio Preview Offer: K332 (K7 LTE), K520DY (Stylus 2), K520DY, H860 (LG G5), K500I (X Screen), K535D (Stylus 2 Plus), LGH630D (G4 Stylus 4G) & LGH 442 (LGC70 Spirit LTE)

khemchand singh

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CCNA Network Security ASA NAT in Hindi day 2

26 word says untold every story

Reliance 4G Jio Preview Offer free

UPDATED – Reliance Jio doubles unlimited 4G data, voice offer to 6 months under invite system

REASON FOR EXTENSION

It is not clear why the validity of the unlimited plan has been increased. But it could point to the fact that Reliance Jio now expects to go for commercial launch of its services only by December of this year.

The company was initially expected to hit commercial operations in April. However, it pushed it back due to complications around indoor coverage, activations and integration of Reliance Communications’ 850 MHz spectrum.

Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Communications is yet to hand over its 850 MHz spectrum — to be integrated into Jio’s 4G network — in most places.

Though the Mukesh Ambani firm had expected to be able to build a robust and high-penetration network using its dual-spectrum holdings, it was unable to achieve satisfactory results, according to unconfirmed reports.

As a result, it was considered better by the company to delay the commercial launch by another 3-6 months and get RCom’s 850 MHz spectrum integrated into its operations.

RCom’s spectrum, being of low frequency, would be able to easily penetrate inside buildings and will also give far superior distance coverage in rural areas.

The original 1800-2300 MHz airwaves, on the other hand, would come in handy in catering to high demand areas such as inside cities and town centers.

The delay has somewhat disappointed anxious would-be customers in a country with one of the world’s poorest broadband penetration.

Though Jio’s rivals have, over the last one year, managed to take 4G broadband to most of the places in the country, customers are not able to use the services due to prohibitively high tariff.

Traditional telecom companies like Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular offer a 20-GB-per-month metered 4G connection for around Rs 2,500, while the average income of a household in India is only around Rs 10,000 per month.

Jio is expected to offer that much data in around Rs 699-799 per month.

The company is also reportedly planning to open its network availability for everyone, thus eliminating the need of getting an invite. The invite from Reliance employees allowed users to purchase a LYF-branded smartphone from Reliance Digital stores across India. However, public SIM card availability with LYF handset could commence starting May 30.

Along with the Reliance Jio connection, users get unlimited voice and data calls for a period of three months, which is now extended up to six months till November 2016. This also hints at full-fledged commercial launch of Reliance Jio could happen around December later this year. Along with Reliance Jio 4G connection, users also get unlimited access to a range Jio apps, which includes Jio Beats, JioXpressNews, Jio Mags, Jio Security, Jio On-Demand and Jio Drive.

Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries, has extended the trial launch of its 4G services to the public through an invite system, driven by its group employees.

Jio has now empowered the group employees, who had got the trial SIM earlier, to bring 10 more people to the 4G network through a referral invite system. The invite, which has to be sent by a RIL employee, will allow people to buy a LYF phone, which will come bundled with free unlimited 4G data and voice for three months.

"Our state of the art all- IP TRUE 4G network is being rolled out on a massive unprecedented scale. Our network leverages technologies like VoLTE, VoWiFi....As we inch closer towards our commercial launch, we are providing our near and dear ones ( Yes you!) a chance to test out our network. Powered with rich content through various Jio APPs we intend to deliver superior DIGITAL LIFE experience to Indian consumers.

The 4G operator recently revealed that its services were being tested by over 500,000 users, many of whom use LYF phones. The telco had said that it will launch full scale commercial operations once the base increases to a few million users, which his widely estimated to be towards the end of this year.

Under the offer, new connections will come with unlimited access to Jio applications for 90 days. Jio offers services like Jio Play, Jio On-Demand, Jio Beats, JioMags, JioXpressNews, Jio Security, and Jio Drive. "All this is for FREE. You just have to buy LYF handset," the invite said.

The extended trial will not just help the telco extensively test its network and services in the country, but will also allow it to push the sales of LYF-branded handsets, which are sourced from vendors like ZTE and CK Telecom. Reliance Jio, through its retail arm, is offering a number of devices under the LYF brand, priced between Rs 5490-Rs 19399. These LYF handsets can be bought only at Reliance Digital and Reliance Digital Mini store along with the invitation code, sent by a RIL employee over mail.

Reliance Retail's handset brand - LFY - emerged as India's fifth largest smartphone player in its first quarter since launch, creating a flutter in the world's fastest growing smartphone market which is led by Samsung, according to data from Counterpoint Research. LYF cornered a 7% share of the smartphone market in the first quarter of the year, on the back of high demand for 4G LTE phones in India where two of three smartphones shipped supported the high speed broadband services.

Executives at a number of Reliance Digital Xpress stores across Delhi confirmed receiving the first lot of 4G SIM cards, besides LYF-branded smartphones.

PV Sindhu Create History

PV Sindhu create History Wins Olympic 

Silver Medal , India's Hearts.

PV Sindhu lauded with gifts: From BMW to Rs 2.05 crore and land

Telangana government announced a cash awards of Rs one crore. Sources said that Government is also likely to gift land to PV Sindhu.

Awards and accolades await P V Sindhu as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh prepare to welcome home the badminton ace. From Hyderabad to Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam, corporates, businessmen and jewellery showrooms are waiting to show their appreciation for the medal-winner in cash and gifts.

The first gift that Sindhu will receive is a BMW from V Chamundeshwarnath, president of Hyderabad District Badminton Association. He had gifted a BMW to Saina Nehwal when she won a bronze in 2012 and vowed to gift one to Sindhu if she wins a medal. “Before the Rio Olympics started, I had said that if anyone from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh wins a medal I will gift a BMW. I am glad, I will be presenting one to Sindhu soon,’’ said Chamundeshwarnath, a close friend of Sachin Tendulkar, who raises the money to buy the luxury cars by seeking donations from businessmen and corporates. Tendulkar who handed over the BMW from Chamundeshwarnath to Saina Nehwal in August 2012 is also likely to hand over the Beemer to Sindhu next month.

Telangana government announced a cash awards of Rs one crore. Sources said that Government is also likely to gift land to Sindhu. Badminton Association of India too announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh for Sindhu and Rs 10 lakh for Gopichand. The All India Football Federation also awarded Rs 5 lakh each for both Sindhu and Sakshi Malik.

The Madhya Pradesh government also announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh for Sindhu, an official said. Congratulating Sindhu for bagging the silver medal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh, a senior official of the Public Relation department said.

A Vijayawada-based top jewellery showroom chain will sign up Sindhu as their brand ambassador. Several real estate developers are likely to gift flats to promote their prestigious ventures in IT corridor. Mahindra and Mahindra will gift one of their famous SUVs of Sindhu’s choice to the shuttler.

Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao said Friday evening that the government will make all arrangements to accord a glittering reception to Sindhu when she returns from Rio. “Our Telugu daughter has brought glory to the country. We are all proud of her. We will organize a grand welcome for her,’’ Rama Rao said.

The Delhi government also announced Rs 1 crore as an award to Olympic bronze-medallist Sakshi Malik, and Rs 2 crore to Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu.

Delhi Government also offered a promotion to Sakshi Malik’s father who works in the Delhi Transport Corporation.

Meanwhile, students of faculty of St Ann’s College for Women at Mehdipatnam where Sindhu is pursuing an MBA degree organized a meeting to pray for success of their favourite student. Dozens of students from various schools converged at the Gopichand Badminton Academy at Gachibowli, where Sindhu trains, to watch the match on the big screen. Special prayers and ‘pooja’ were held at various temples across the state including `Peddamma temple’ in Jubillee Hills in Hyderabad for Sindhu’s success.

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu on Thursday became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in the Olympics. Spain's Carolina Marin beat her 21-19, 21-12, 21-15 at the badminton final on Thursday.

She has come a long way — from a 16-year-old watching Saina Nehwal win the 2012 London Olympics bronze to being India's lone badminton medal hope in the 2016 Games.

Prior to the Games, she said, "The biggest dream I am chasing now is an Olympic medal. I remember watching Saina in London. Then I was ranked World No. 25. I always longed to be there and I am all excited to represent India in Rio.” She broke into the Top 20 in 2012, and is currently ranked no. 10 in the world.

Sindhu scripted a stellar 22-20, 21-19 win against former World No. 1 and London Games silver medallist Wang Yihan to enter the women’s semifinals. Her fierce strokeplay and aggressive cross-court returns have been the highlights of her game so far. She rated her win over the London Olympics silver medallist as one of the best moments of her career.

The bigger reward

She first made her mark in the badminton circles in 2013. She won her maiden grand prix gold at the Malaysian Open, went on to win the first of her hat-trick of titles at the Macau Open. The bigger reward in the form of Arjuna award was the icing on the cake.

With former volleyball players for parents — her father Ramanna is an Arjuna awardee — it is only natural that sports had always been her calling. But why badminton? Inspired by her iconic mentor, Pullela Gopichand’s exploits on court, she started wielding the racquet at the age of eight. She was awarded the FICCI Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year in 2014 and NDTV Indian of the Year 2014, the year in which she won her second consecutive medal at the World Championships.

In March 2015, P.V. Sindhu became the youngest recipient of the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour.

She is the second-highest-ranked women’s singles player from India after Olympic bronze medalist and No. 2 Saina Nehwal.

With a methodical style of play, considered to be defensive — building up with long rallies to lay seize to a point as and when an opening arises, she has evolved remarkably well to streamline her method towards winning. At the same time, she has recently added a more aggressive facet to her game, being more vociferous and playing attacking shots that put the opponent on the backfoot.

With the singular feat of winning a medal at the world championships in 2013, the first for an Indian woman shuttler, P.V. Sindhu entered the domain of intense public scrutiny reserved for the most elite of sportspersons. To have won the Macau Open Grand Prix gold recently, despite being burdened by expectations which increased, as she was the defending champion, is quite commendable. In fact, it is her only title win this year, after losing the first quarter of the season to an injury. It is her third consecutive victory at the competition, making for an impressive trophy cabinet for a 20-year old!

Knowledge of her family and upbringing provides tacit understanding as to why she chose to become a sportsperson. With former volleyball players for parents it is only natural that sports had always been her calling. But why badminton? Inspired by her iconic mentor, Pullela Gopichand’s exploits on court, she started wielding the racquet at the age of eight. Her indomitable spirit has always been the most talked about feature of her game. “The most striking feature of Sindhu’s game is her attitude and never-say-die spirit,” remarked her coach.

With a methodical style of play, considered to be defensive — building up with long rallies to lay seize to a point as and when an opening arises, she has evolved remarkably well to streamline her method towards winning. When an athlete makes his or her way up the ladder, all keen and purposeful, with built-up character and technical refinement in tow, it is some morale-boosting victories, high on magnitude, that renders them more confident and replete with self-belief.

In Sindhu’s case, 2013 turned out to be significant as it was indicative of her relentless refinement. She won her maiden grand prix gold at the Malaysian Open, created the aforementioned Indian record in the World championships held at Guangzhou and went on to win the first of her hat-trick of titles at the Macau Open. Bigger reward in the form of Arjuna award was the icing on the cake. And to think that she still has a long career ahead only escalates our amazement. The coming year is yet another chance — for her to win more, hopefully, and for us to bask and rejoice.

Some Facts about Stephen Hawkings

Even if you don't keep a close eye on new developments in physics, you've probably heard of the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. He's prided himself on making his complex physical concepts accessible to the public and writing the bestseller, "A Brief History of Time."

And if you are a fan of Conan O'Brien, "The Simpsons" or "Star Trek," you might have seen him brandishing his cool wit during guest appearances on those shows.

Even if you are familiar with his academic work, however, there are many interesting facts you might not know about Hawking, stretching from his time at school and gradual development of disability to his opinions on the future of the human race.

Many find it surprising, for instance, that, despite his influential body of work, Hawking hasn't yet been awarded the Nobel Prize. We'll talk about some of the remarkable distinctions he has received, however.

Another interesting fact: Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942, which just happened to be the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death.

But this has just been the warm-up. Next, we'll delve into some fascinating and unexpected facts about Hawking, including some things about his profoundly inspirational story.

Received Mediocre Grades in School

These days, we know Hawking as a brilliant mind whose theories are difficult for a nonscientific mind to grasp. This is why it may come as a shock to learn that Hawking was a slacker when it came to his school studies.

In fact, when he was 9 years old, his grades ranked among the worst in his class [source: Larsen]. With a little more effort, he brought those grades up to about average, but not much better.

Nevertheless, from an early age he was interested in how stuff worked. He has talked about how he was known to disassemble clocks and radios. However, he admits he wasn't very good at putting them back together so they could work again.

Despite his poor grades, both his teachers and his peers seemed to understand that they had a future genius among them, evidenced by the fact that his nickname was "Einstein."

The problem with his mediocre grades was that his father wanted to send him to Oxford, but didn't have the money without a scholarship. Luckily, when it came time for the scholarship exams, he aced them, getting an almost perfect score on the physics exam.

Had an Aversion to Biology

Stephen Hawking took a liking to mathematics from an early age, and he would have liked to have majored in it. His father, Frank, however, had different ideas. He hoped Stephen would instead study medicine.

But, for all his interest in science, Stephen didn't care for biology. He has said that he found it to be "too inexact, too descriptive" .  He would have rather devoted his mind to more precise, well-defined concepts.

One problem, however, was that Oxford didn't have mathematics as a major. The compromise was that Stephen would attend Oxford and major in physics.

In fact, even within physics, he focused on the bigger questions. When faced with deciding between the two tracks of particle physics, which studies the behavior of subatomic particles, versus cosmology, which studies the large universe as a whole, he chose the latter. He chose cosmology despite the fact that, at that time, he says, it was "hardly recognised as a legitimate field".

In explaining why, he said that particle physics "seemed like botany. There were all these particles, but no theory" 

Was on Oxford Rowing Team

Biographer Kristine Larsen writes about how Hawking faced isolation and unhappiness during his first year or so at Oxford. The thing that seems to have drawn him out of this funk was joining the rowing team.

Even before being diagnosed with a physically disabling illness, Hawking didn't have what one would call a large or athletic build. However, row teams recruited smaller men like Hawking to be coxswains -- a position that does not row, but rather controls steering and stroke rate.

Because rowing was so important and competitive at Oxford, Hawking's role on the team made him very popular. Remembering Hawking from those days, one fellow boatsman called him "the adventurous type" .

But as much as the rowing team helped his popularity, it hurt his study habits. Occupied with rowing practice for six afternoons per week, Hawking started "to cut serious corners" and used "creative analysis to create lab reports" 

Five things you didn't know about India's Independence Day

Indian independence on August 15, 1947, freed a fifth of the world’s population from colonial rule and heralded the end of imperialism.  While reams have been written about the day, here are five things that you might not have known about the event.

1. The date of independence was chosen to satisfy Mountbatten’s vanity

What is often forgotten in the nationalistic histories of the day is just how chaotic independence was. After 200 years of holding on to India any way they could, the British, wrecked by World War II, wanted to get out as fast as possible. Important decisions – such as the exact date of transfer of power – were chosen using less than ideal methods. When the last British Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, was asked why he chose August 15 as the day to hand over power to Indians, this was his reply:

“The date I chose came out of the blue. I chose it in reply to a question. I was determined to show I was the master of the whole event. When they asked: had I set a date, I knew it had to be soon. I hadn’t worked it out exactly then – I thought it had to be about August or September and then I went to the 15th of August. Why? Because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender.”

August 15, 1945, was when Japan surrendered after it was pulverised by two nuclear bombs. The date had a personal appeal for Mountbatten as he had been Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia Command and had accepted the Japanese surrender himself in Singapore.

South Korea – at the time colonised by Japan – also celebrates this day as their Independence Day. In an improbable coincidence, both countries reference the same event: Japan’s surrender.

Of course, the fact that Independence Day for one-fifth of humanity was chosen to flatter the vanity of our erstwhile Viceroy should give you a small indication as to why things went so wrong.

2. August 15 was Independence Day but Partition actually took place two days later

It was well known that the Punjab was a tinderbox and splitting it would almost certainly exacerbate the situation. One way to keep things under control was to announce Partition before Independence, thus giving advance warning in case anyone wanted to migrate. Thus, we have Evan Jenkins, the Governor of the Punjab writing frantic letters to Mountbatten to have the Boundary Award published before August 15.

Given this urgency, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, working in record time, actually had the boundary ready by August 9. Shockingly, Mountbatten refused to publish the award till August 17. On the morning of August 15, while Punjabis had ceased being subjects of the Raj, surreally, they did not know whether they were citizens of India or Pakistan.

The reason for this delay was to make sure that the British did not have to bear any responsibility for the Punjab holocaust, since now the killings would take place after the Raj had ceased to exist. In a report to the Secretary of State for India on 16 August, Mountbatten writes:

“…it had been obvious all along that the later we postponed publication [of the Punjab boundary award], the less would be the inevitable odium react upon the British”.

As expected, this criminal delay played its part in greatly increasing the panic in the Punjab, especially since any minority population transfers would now need take place under “hostile” governments rather than under the Raj, which was seen to be largely neutral. Thus, when the boundaries were finally announced, the Punjab simply exploded into violence. The raula that followed was unprecedented and saw both halves of the province empty themselves of their minorities.

3. Pakistan changed its Independence Day to August 14

Even though Pakistan observes its Independence Day on August 14, technically, the day it achieved freedom is the same as India. The Independence of India Act is quite clear when its states that “as from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan”. In fact, the first postage stamps that Pakistan printed have on them “15 August 1947” as the date of independence.

In Pakistan, however, this date was changed to August 14 in 1948. Some think this was because Mountbatten delivered the King’s message of independence in Karachi on August 14, 1947. Others postulate that it was because August 14, 1948, was extremely holy in Islam (it was the 27th day of Ramzan). Or maybe, Pakistan just wanted to be a day ahead of India.

Whatever the reason, it lead to an incongruous situation where twins ended up with different birth dates.

4. India didn’t achieve purna swaraj till 1950

In the Congress’ iconography, its Purna  Swaraj resolution of 1930 occupies a special place. It was the first time the party had declared complete independence as its goal, moving on from dominion status.

Therefore, it is somewhat ironic that when India eventually acquired freedom on August 15, 1947, it actually became a dominion: a constitutional monarchy with King George VI (styled the “King of India”) as its head of state in much the same mould as Australia or Canada today.

Unlike those two countries, though, India abolished the monarchy, becoming a republic on January 26, 1950. Pakistan remained a dominion right till 1956. Consequently, in 1953 when Elizabeth II was sworn in, one of her titles was "Queen of Pakistan.

5. Independence Day, inexplicably, saw an outpouring of affection for our departing colonisers

Massive crowds thronged Delhi on August 15 for the ceremonies relating to the transfer of power. The people hailed Gandhi and Nehru, as would be expected, but also, puzzlingly, cheered on Mountbatten as well. This was described by the Indian Army’s journal, Fauji Akhbar, in its account of the day’s events:

“On both occasions the Governor-General, when he drove in his State coach, was acclaimed as no other Governor-General of India within living memory has been greeted. Cries of ‘Mountbatten Zindabad’ and ‘Lord Sahib Zindabad’ were heard.”

The day’s programme originally included a ceremonial lowering of the Union Jack. On a request from Mountbatten, however, Nehru agreed to skip this since it could “offended British sensibilities”.

Overwhelmed by this reception, Mountbatten writes, “The 15th of August has certainly turned out to be the most remarkable and inspiring day of my life.”

As the cherry on the cake, British troops departing for the UK were given a very warm send off in Mumbai as well. Mountbatten estimates that there were “several hundreds of thousands” in reception with chants of "England Zindabad" and "Jai England" for, what was till the previous day, a colonial army of occupation.

• 01) National flag was hoisted for the first on August 7, 1906 at the Parsee Bagan Square in Calcutta. The flag was composed of horizontal strips of red, yellow and green. The red strip at the top had eight white lotuses embossed on it in a row. The green strip had a white sun on the left and a white crescent and star on the right.
• 02) It is said that the first version of the current national flag was made by Pingali Venkayya at Bezwada in 1921. It was made up of two colours-red and green-representing the two major communities. Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India and the spinning wheel to symbolize progress of the Nation.
• 03) Mountbatten chose the day of August 15 as the day to hand over power to Indians because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender. The date had a personal appeal for Mountbatten as he had been Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia Command and had accepted the Japanese surrender himself in Singapore.
• 04) South Korea, Bahrain and Republic of the Congo also share their independence day with India.
• 06) The day’s programme originally included a ceremonial lowering of the Union Jack. As the cherry on the cake, British troops departing for the UK were given a very warm send off in Mumbai as well. According to estimates there were “several hundreds of thousands” in reception with chants of “England Zindabad” and “Jai England” for, what was till the previous day, a colonial army of occupation.
• 07) The Bengali invocation of Jana Gana Mana was originally written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911 but it was not considered as our national anthem until 1950.
• 08) When India attained freedom on August 15, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi was in Calcutta. When the rest of the country was celebrating the spirit of independence, Mahatma Gandhi dedicated his day to prayers, fasting and protesting against communal hatred.
• 09) Interestingly, Gandhiji wanted the Congress to be disbanded immediately after the independence. Hence, he drafted a resolution saying “India having attained political independence through means devised by the INC, the Congress in its present shape and form, i.e., as a propaganda vehicle and parliamentary machine had outlived its use.