Editing History of India (section)

==== After World War II (c. 1946–1947) ====
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|quote="A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new; when an age ends; and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance."
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|source    =&nbsp;— From, [[Tryst with destiny]], a speech given by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] to the [[Constituent Assembly of India]] on the eve of independence, 14 August 1947.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/series/greatspeeches|title=Great speeches of the 20th century|work=The Guardian|date=8 February 2008}}</ref>
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In January 1946, several mutinies broke out in the armed services, starting with that of RAF servicemen frustrated with their slow repatriation. The mutinies came to a head with [[Royal Indian Navy mutiny|mutiny of the Royal Indian Navy]] in [[Bombay]] in February 1946, followed by others in [[Calcutta]], [[Madras]], and [[Karachi]]. The mutinies were rapidly suppressed. In early 1946, new elections were called and [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] candidates won in eight of the eleven provinces.

Late in 1946, the Labour government decided to end British rule of India, and in early 1947 it announced its intention of transferring power no later than June 1948 and participating in the formation of an [[Interim Government of India|interim government]].

Along with the desire for independence, tensions between Hindus and Muslims had also been developing over the years. Muslim League leader [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] proclaimed 16 August 1946 as [[Direct Action Day]], with the stated goal of highlighting, peacefully, the demand for a Muslim homeland in British India, which resulted in the outbreak of the cycle of violence that would be later called the "[[Direct Action Day|Great Calcutta Killing of August 1946]]". The communal violence spread to [[1946 Bihar riots|Bihar]], [[Noakhali riots|Noakhali]] in Bengal, [[Garhmukteshwar]] in the [[United Provinces (1937-1950)|United Provinces]], and on to [[Rawalpindi]] in March 1947 in which Sikhs and Hindus were [[1947 Rawalpindi massacres|attacked or driven out]] by Muslims.
[[File:Literacy India 1901 2011 Detail.png|right|thumb|[[Literacy in India]] grew very slowly until independence in 1947. An acceleration in the rate of literacy growth occurred in the 1991–2001 period.]]