The Quit India Movement Day is annually observed across India on 8th August to commemorate the launch of the Quit India Movement on 8th August 1942. The day pays tribute to the martyrs and freedom fighters of the Independence movement.
- 8th August 2023 marks the 81st anniversary of the Quit India movement.
Quit India Movement:
i.The Quit India Movement, also referred to as the August Movement, August Kranti, and Bharat Chhdo Andolan, was a mass civil disobedience campaign demanding India’s independence from British rule.
ii.One of the key factors contributing to the Quit India Movement was the result of the failure of the Cripps Mission in April 1942.
iii.It was officially launched by the Indian National Congress (INC) led by Mahatma Gandhi on 9th August 1942, at the Bombay (now Mumbai) session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) during World War II (WW2) demanding an end to British rule in India.
iv.Gandhiji gave the slogan “Do or Die” (Karo ya maro) in his speech at the Gowalia Tank Maidan, now popularly known as August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai.
v.Aruna Asaf Ali, also referred to as the“Heroine of 1942 Quit India Movement”,“Queen of the August revolution”, ‘Grand Old Lady’ of the Independence Movement, raised the Indian flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan.
- It was the first time that the Indian Tricolour was hoisted in public.
v.The phrase ‘Quit India’ was authored by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist and trade unionist who served as Mayor of Mumbai. (He also coined the slogan “Simon Go Back”)
vi.By 1944, almost all demonstrations as part of the movement had been suppressed.
About Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:
Born- 2nd October 1869, Porbandar, Gujarat
Died- Assassinated on 30th January 1948.
Autobiography– The Story of My Experiments with Truth
