There were colourful parades around India as the country celebrated its 68th Independence Day. India gained independence from British rule in 1947.

india independence day 2014
Girls show off their bangles in the colours of the national flag during Independence Day celebrations in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh (Reuters) Image for representation only

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, delivering his first Independence Day speech, adressed the countryfrom the ramparts of the 17th-century Red Fort in old Delhi, continuing a tradition begun by independent India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

However, Modi broke with one tradition: he did not speak from behind a bullet-proof screen, the first prime minister to do so in almost 30 years.