India gained independence from British rule on August 15, 1947. Independence was the culmination of a long struggle for freedom, led by various leaders and movements advocating for self-governance, including figures like Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The Indian National Congress and other political entities organized protests, civil disobedience, and campaigns to end colonial rule. The partition of India into two separate states, India and Pakistan, accompanied independence, leading to significant demographic shifts and communal violence, but it marked the beginning of a new chapter in India's history as a sovereign nation.