The Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday commemorated one of the most significant milestones in India’s freedom struggle, as Lieutenant Governor Admiral D.K. Joshi hoisted the national flag at Flag Point, Tiranga Memorial Park, marking the historic flag hoisting by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on December 30, 1943.
The observance recalled the moment when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as Head of the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind), unfurled the Indian tricolour at the then Gymkhana Ground in Sri Vijaya Puram, now Netaji Stadium. The event is widely recognised as the first formal hoisting of the Indian national flag on Indian soil before Independence.
On that day in 1943, Bose declared the Andaman and Nicobar Islands free from British rule and renamed them Shaheed and Swaraj, symbolising sacrifice and self-rule. Historians regard the act as a major political assertion that strengthened the freedom movement at a time when India remained under colonial control.
The flag hoisting was not merely symbolic. It marked the islands as the first territory of British India to be liberated, albeit briefly, under the Azad Hind Government. The declaration sent a strong message across the country and internationally, reinforcing the inevitability of India’s independence.
Today, Sri Vijaya Puram occupies a distinctive place in India’s national memory. The historic waterfront area and Netaji Stadium continue to stand as reminders of the islands’ contribution to the freedom struggle, while Tiranga Memorial Park serves as a focal point for annual remembrance.
Every year on December 30, tributes are paid to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and other freedom fighters whose efforts laid the foundation for India’s eventual Independence on August 15, 1947. The commemoration underscores the role played by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in shaping the national movement.
More than eight decades later, Netaji’s legacy continues to resonate through ideals of courage, sacrifice and unwavering patriotism. The tricolour flying in Sri Vijaya Puram today reinforces the islands’ enduring connection to India’s freedom story and their place in the nation’s historical consciousness.
