Watch in pics, India's historic moments since Independence

New Delhi: After India woke up to a new age of independence in 1947 and had its tryst with destiny, the nation has passed through many special moments, beginning with the tragedies of millions at the time of Partition till the time India become one of the world's emerging powers. Let's have a look at some of the historic moments since India's independence: 1. Lord Mountbatten the last Viceroy of India (1947) and the first Governor-General of the independent Dominion of India salutes India's national flag with his wife Edwina. Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, looks on. 2. Muslim and Hindu refugees leave their homes to move to India and Pakistan after the bloody Partition of 1947. 3. Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, 1948: Bapu's body lies in state at Birla House, New Delhi 4. 1984 Anti-Sikh riots : Several thousand innocent Sikhs were killed after riots broke out on October 31, 1984 after the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. This was preceded by Operation Bluestar by the Indian army to flush out Khalistani militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.5. After a huge battle and sacrifices, Indians celebrate Independence in the streets of Kolkata ( 1947) 6. Father of the Nation - Mahatma Gandhi 7. More than a million people were killed in widespread violence that followed the partition of India in 1947 8. People gathered at Raj Path, New Delhi to celebrate first Independence Day of India 9. India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru addressing crowd in India 10. 1966: India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi takes over. 11. India's first underground nuclear test, carried out on May 18 1974 at Pokhran in the desert state of Rajasthan 12. Rajiv, Rahul, Sonia and Priyanka at Indira Gandhi's funeral. 13. Babri Masjid demolition on December 6, 1992 triggered nationwide communal riots. 14. The family of Rajiv Gandhi watches his funeral pyre on May 24 1991. He was assassinated by a female LTTE suicide bomber Dhanu at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. 15. In 1999, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee made a historic bus trip to Pakistan to meet Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif 16. Kargil war in 1999. Pakistani soldiers in the garb of militants intruded and occupied several heights in Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir. They were dislodged by Indian army after a major operation was launched. 17. One of the world's biggest industrial tragedy. Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984. Nearly 3,000 people died of methyl isocyanate released after a Union Carbide plant leaked the deadly gas. 18. Thousands were killed and many more rendered homeless when huge tidal waves caused by a Tsunami off the coast of Indonesia hit the Indian coasts in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in 2004 19. George W. Bush shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad house in New Delhi on March 2, 2006 after finalizing the famous civil nuclear collaboration agreement. 20. In April 2007 India launched its first commercial space rocket, carrying an Italian satellite which will gather information about the origins of the universe.