India, Aug. 15 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday led the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, describing the occasion as a historic moment as Vande Mataram echoed from the ramparts of the iconic monument for the first time on August 15 since Independence.

Addressing the nation after unfurling the Tricolour, Modi paid tribute to the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for India's independence and remembered Mahatma Gandhi and the revolutionaries who inspired the country's freedom struggle.

"The country today remembers with reverence those great sons and daughters who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of the nation. With freedom as the sole objective, they devoted their entire lives to sacrifice ...