Swatantra Diwas Ki Kahani: This year India will celebrate its 78th Independence Day. Even though we celebrate Independence Day on 15 August, do you know that the country's independence was announced at midnight on 14 August? Now the question arises that why was independence announced on 14 instead of 15? Foreign historians Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, who wrote stories of the last few months of India's independence, have answered this question in their book Freedom at Midnight. This book has been published in Hindi as 'Aadhi Raat Ko Azadi'. Let us know why India's independence was announced at midnight on 14 August.

The position of the planets and constellations on August 15 was not auspicious

In the book 'Azadi at Midnight', it is told that the astrologers thought behind declaring independence on the 14th. The astrologers believed that it was not auspicious to do an auspicious and holy work like giving independence to a nation on the 15th of August. Also, in terms of the planetary positions, 15th August is not a good day for doing any important work. The astrologers said that if the date of 15th August is fixed, then an alternative can be found. Then the astrologers found a middle path and suggested declaring independence at midnight on 14th August 1947.

The stars of 14 August were stronger than those of 15 August

He said that the stars of the 14th of August are more accurate than 15th. Hence, it would be better if both India and Pakistan were freed at midnight on 14th August. The Viceroy accepted this option suggested by the astrologers and then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten also became the first Governor General of independent India. With this, he realized that before every important and big work, the opinion of astrologers must be taken. This is said in the book 'Aadhi Raat Ko Azadi'. It is said that when the Viceroy came to know that there was not a single person in his staff who had even a little knowledge of astrology, then he also assigned the responsibility to his press advisor Alan Campbell Johnson to always take the opinion of astrologers on important issues.