Which country, former member of the British empire, celebrated its 50th anniversary as an independent country on August 15, 1997?

On August 15, 1947, the Indian Independence Act came into effect, officially ending nearly 200 years of British rule on the subcontinent. This momentous occasion, which concluded a long and arduous struggle for self-governance, established India as a sovereign nation within the Commonwealth. Fifty years later, in 1997, the country marked this "Golden Jubilee" of freedom with extensive celebrations, reflecting on its half-century journey as an independent state.

The birth of independent India was intrinsically linked with a deeply painful event known as the Partition. The same act that granted India its freedom also divided British India along religious lines, creating the new nation of Pakistan. This division led to one of the largest and most violent mass migrations in human history, as millions of Muslims moved to Pakistan and millions of Hindus and Sikhs moved to India.

At the stroke of midnight on that historic day in 1947, India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, delivered his famous "Tryst with Destiny" speech. He declared that India was awakening to life and freedom while the world slept. The 1997 anniversary was therefore a celebration of that awakening and a testament to the nation's resilience and its status as the world's largest democracy.