NEW DELHI, India – August 8, 1942, is etched in India's history as a day of immense courage and resolve. On this day, Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress launched the Quit India Movement, a mass civil disobedience campaign that would become a final, decisive chapter in the fight for independence. The movement sent a clear and powerful message to the British: it was time to leave India.

Here’s a look at the significant event that took place on this day:

1942: The Call for a Final Revolution

On this day at the All-India Congress Committee session in Mumbai, Mahatma Gandhi delivered a powerful speech, giving the nation the slogan of "Do or Die." He urged every Indian to join the non-violent protest against British rule. The movement was a call for complete freedom and saw people from all walks of life, including students, women, and farmers, rise up in nationwide protests. The British government responded by arresting thousands of leaders, including Gandhi himself, but the movement's spirit could not be suppressed. It laid the foundation for India's independence just five years later.