Flashback to August 15, 1947

On the morning of August 15, 1947, the rest of India erupted in celebration, marking the nation's long-fought freedom from colonial rule.

- PARVANA K B

But in Travancore the atmosphere was different.

The streets were not filled with joyous processions. Instead, there was an unusual stillness, laced with anxiety. Three days before the historic day, Dewan C P Ramaswami Iyer issued an order that the Indian Tricolour was not to be hoisted anywhere in Travancore. Only the flag bearing the conch shell emblem of the princely state would be permitted.

"Initially, the Maharaja and Dewan had taken the stand that Travancore could remain independent," notes historian M G Sasibhooshan. "Cochin had already decided to join the Indian Union, and there was a feeling that Travancore could not stand alone in such a situation. Yet, unlike other princely states, there were no official celebrations here."

Some, however, chose to defy the official silence. "Individuals did celebrate. People hoisted the Tricolour at their homes. There was a sense of joy among the public that they were finally gaining the independence they had long awaited," Sasibhooshan adds.