Indian students at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology celebrated 70 years of their country's independence today.

Celebrations were held at both the Windermere campus in Tauranga and the Mokoia campus in Rotorua.

The event at Windermere began with the raising of the Indian flag at 9am and was followed by samosas, ladoo and chai tea. The students then put on a series of colourful and energetic dances, including a routine to an Ed Sheeran song.

The event was also attended by staff and students from the Diploma in Engineering programme.

Graeme Rennie, Head of International at Toi Ohomai, says the day is important for Indians.

'This is the 70th anniversary of Indian Independence Day so it's especially important to our Indian students and community. It gives us all a chance to celebrate Indian culture with dances, songs and food from their home country.”

The Indian independence movement from British rule is generally considered to have begun in 1857, with the Indian Mutiny, and gained traction from the 1920s with the influence of Mahatma Gandhi and his policy of peaceful resistance.

India was finally granted independence in 1947, at the same time as Pakistan, which received the Muslim-majority regions on the subcontinent's western and eastern flanks.

East Pakistan eventually seceded in 1971 with India's help, to form the modern nation of Bangladesh.