Republic Day (India)

Last updated

Republic Day of India
Constitution of India.jpg
The original text of the Preamble to the Constitution of India. The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950 (1950-01-26).
Observed byFlag of India.svg  India
Type Public
SignificanceAdoption of the Constitution of India
CelebrationsParades, speeches and cultural events
Date 26 January
Next time26 January 2025 (2025-01)
FrequencyAnnual
First time1950;74 years ago (1950)

Republic Day is a national holiday in India commemorating the adoption of the Constitution of India, and the country's transition to a republic which came into effect on 26 January 1950.

Contents

The constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India, thus turning the nation from a dominion into a republic post its independence from the British Raj in 1947. The constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950. The date was chosen as the Indian National Congress proclaimed Purna Swaraj (complete independence) on this day in 1930.

Republic Day is commonly associated with parades, political speeches, cultural events and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of India.

Background

India achieved independence from the British Raj on 15 August 1947 following the success of the Indian independence movement which was led by Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. This was enacted through the Indian Independence Act 1947, an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of the British Commonwealth. [1] India became a constitutional monarchy with George VI as head of state and the Earl Mountbatten as governor-general. Without a standalone constitution, its laws were based on the existent Government of India Act 1935 and governed by the Constituent Assembly of India. [2]

On 29 August 1947, a seven-member drafting committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with B R Ambedkar as chairman. [3] A draft constitution prepared by the committee was submitted to the Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1948. [4] After the draft was discussed and debated, the constituent assembly adopted the constitution on 26 November 1949. [5] The major part of the constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950 with Rajendra Prasad becoming the first President of India and the constituent assembly became the Parliament of India under the transitional provisions of the new constitution. [6] [7] The date was chosen as the Indian National Congress proclaimed Purna Swaraj (complete independence) on this day in 1930. [8]

Customs and celebrations

On the eve of the Republic Day, the President addresses the nation. [9] On the Republic Day, the President of India unfurls the national flag in the national capital New Delhi with the Governors and Lieutenant Governors unfurling the flag at the respective states and union territories. [10] [11]

Parade

First president Rajendra Prasad readies to take part in the first Republic Day parade on Rajpath in New Delhi, in 1950 Rajendra Prasad readies to take part in the first Republic Day parade.jpg
First president Rajendra Prasad readies to take part in the first Republic Day parade on Rajpath in New Delhi, in 1950

The main Republic Day celebrations are held in New Delhi, at the Kartavya Path, a ceremonial boulevard that runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through India Gate. [12] The event is hosted by the President of India with ceremonious parades and cultural events. [13] The Delhi Republic Day parade held during the same is organized by the Ministry of Defence. [14] The President who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute from various units of the army, navy, air force, para-military and police forces. [15]

Chief-guest

Every year, a head of state or government of another country is invited as the state guest of honor for the Republic day celebrations in New Delhi. The guest country is often chosen on the basis of strategic, economic and political interests. French President Emmanuel Macron was the chief guest at the celebrations that marked India's 75th [16] Republic Day. [17]

Beating retreat

The Beating Retreat ceremony, conducted on the evening of 29 January marks the end of Republic day festivities. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the Indian armed forces at Vijay Chowk. [18] The President of India is escorted by the President's Bodyguard and post a ceremonial salute, the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana is played. Military bands then play popular tunes like Abide With Me and Saare Jahan Se Achcha at the end. [19] [20] [21]

Awards

On the eve of Republic Day, the President of India distributes various civilian Padma Awards. [22] These were instituted in the year 1954 and are awarded in three categories in decreasing order of precedence. [23]

The decoration comprises a certificate and a medallion and unlike national honors, the awards do not include cash allowances, benefits, or special concessions. [24] A commemorative brochure giving out brief details in respect of each award winner is also released on the day of the investiture ceremony. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bharat Ratna</span> Indias highest civilian award

The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinction of race, occupation, position or gender. The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services, but the Government of India expanded the criteria to include "any field of human endeavor" in December 2011. The recommendations for the award are made by the Prime Minister to the President. The recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peepal leaf-shaped medallion with no monetary grant associated with the award. Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of India</span> Supreme law of India

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens, based on the proposal suggested by M. N. Roy. It is the longest written national constitution in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic Day</span> National Festival of several countries commemorating their establishment as republics

Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of India</span> National flag

The national flag of India, colloquially called Tiraṅgā, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag, the colours being of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Union of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" almost always refers to the Indian national flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajpath</span> Boulevard in New Delhi stretching from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Rajpath, officially named Kartavya Path, and formerly known as Kingsway, is a ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi, India, that runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, National War Memorial to National Stadium, Delhi. The avenue is lined on both sides by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees. Considered to be one of the most important roads in India, it is where the annual Republic Day parade takes place on 26 January. Janpath crosses the road. Rajpath runs in east-west direction. Roads from Connaught Place, the financial centre of Delhi, run into Rajpath from north. It was made during the Construction of New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beating retreat</span> Military Ceremony

Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating to 17th-century England and was first used to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constituent Assembly of India</span> Unicameral assembly for making the Constitution of India

The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as the 'Provisional Parliament of India'. It was conceived and created by V. K. Krishna Menon, who first outlined its necessity in 1933 and enshrined it as a Congress demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raisina Hill</span> Area of New Delhi, India

Raisina Hill, often used as a metonym for the seat of the Government of India, is an area of New Delhi, housing India's most important government buildings, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the president of India on a citadel and the Secretariat building, housing the Prime Minister's Office and several other important ministries. The hill is seen as an Indian acropolis with Rashtrapati Bhavan as the Parthenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence Day (India)</span> Public holiday celebrated on 15 August

Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly, came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to a republic, when the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 and replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India, with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the independence movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience led by Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who adopted these values from one of the early movements in India led by Ram Singh Kuka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretariat Building, New Delhi</span> Building on Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India which houses the Cabinet Secretariat

The Secretariat Building or Central Secretariat houses the important ministries of the Government of India. Situated at Raisina Hill, New Delhi, the Secretariat buildings are two blocks of symmetrical buildings on opposite sides of the great axis of Kartavya Path, and flanking the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a celebratory day observed on 9 January by the Republic of India to mark the contribution of the Overseas Indian community towards the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purna Swaraj</span> Proclamation of Indian independence from the British Empire published on 26 Jan. 1930

The Declaration of Purna Swaraj was a resolution which was passed in 1930 because of the dissatisfaction among the Indian masses regarding the British offer of Dominion status to India. The word Purna Swaraj was derived from Sanskrit पूर्ण (Pūrṇa) 'Complete', and स्वराज (Svarāja) 'Self-rule or Sovereignty', or Declaration of the Independence of India, it was promulgated by the Indian National Congress, resolving the Congress and Indian nationalists to fight for Purna Swaraj, or complete self-rule/total independence from the British rule

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sushma Swaraj</span> Indian stateswoman and diplomat (1952–2019)

Sushma Swaraj was an Indian lawyer and politician, who served as the Minister of External Affairs of India in the first Narendra Modi government from 2014 to 2019. She was the second person to complete a 5-year term as the Minister of External Affairs, after Jawaharlal Nehru. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Swaraj was the second woman to hold the office of Minister of External Affairs, after Indira Gandhi. She was elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. At the age of 25 in 1977, she became the youngest cabinet minister of the Indian state of Haryana. She also served as 5th Chief Minister of Delhi for a short duration in 1998 and became the first female Chief Minister of Delhi.

Sayyid Bashir Hussain Zaidi, CIE, MP was a member of the first Lok Sabha and the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 1956 to 1962. He also served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India from United Provinces. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, by Government of India in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Day</span> National holiday of Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Pakistan Day or Pakistan Resolution Day, also Republic Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 March 1956 making Pakistan the world's first Islamic republic. The day also celebrates the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Muslim League at the Minar-e-Pakistan which called for the creation of an independent sovereign state derived from the provinces with Muslim majorities located in the North-West and East of British India on 23 March 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lal Chowk</span> Place in Srinagar, India

Lal Chowk is a city square in Srinagar, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moturi Satyanarayana</span>

MoturiSatyanarayana was an Indian independence activist alongside Mohandas Gandhi until 1947 and then a member of the Constituent Assembly of India which drafted the Indian Constitution. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha till 1966. He was instrumental in making Hindi an official language in the Indian Constitution, while tolerating the other major Indian languages. He devoted his later life to helping spread Hindi in South India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delhi Republic Day parade</span> Parade marking the Republic Day celebrations in India

The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Kartavya Path, New Delhi. It is the main attraction of India's Republic Day celebrations, which last for three days. The first parade was held in 1950, and it has been held every year since. The cultural pageant is a symbol of a diverse but united India.

References

  1. ↑ "Indian Independence Act 1947". The National Archives, Her Majesty's Government . Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Introduction to Constitution of India". Ministry of Law and Justice of India. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  3. ↑ "Constituent Assembly Debates (Proceedings)" . Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Draft constitution, introduction (PDF) (Report). Government of India . Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "In pomp and splendour". The Hindu . 24 January 2019. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Constitution of India (PDF) (Report). Government of India . Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Republic Day, January 26: History, Significance & Celebration". The Times of India . 25 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Purna Swaraj resolution". Britannica . Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  9. ↑ Wangchuk, Rinchen Norbu (25 January 2021). "5 Pre-Republic Day Speeches by Presidents That Told Us How to Preserve the Republic". The Better India. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "Flag unfurling on republic day". Hindustan Times . 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "Tamil Nadu governor Ravi unfurls tricolor on Republic day". Deccan Herald . 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Rajpath to make way for Kartavya Path: How India is stepping away from its colonial past". Firstpost. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Republic Day 2020: History, significance and interesting facts". Hindustan Times . 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ↑ "Republic day 2024". Live Mint. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Republic day parade". Hindustan Times . 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Republic Day 2024: Chief guests over the years". Zee Business. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "List of all Chief Guests on Indian Republic Day Parades (1950–2021)". Jagran Josh. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Republic Day Beating Retreat Ceremony 2017 at Vijay Chowk, New Delhi". DNA India. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  19. ↑ "Curtain Raiser – Beating Retreat Ceremony 2011" (Press release). Government of India. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "Beating Retreat weaves soul-stirring musical evening". The Times of India . 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011.
  21. ↑ "Martial music rings down the curtain". The Times of India . 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
  22. ↑ "Republic Day Celebration 2021 - Awards Recipients - Know India: National Portal of India". Government of India. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  23. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  24. ↑ Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1219: Padma Awards (2015) (Report). Lok Sabha: Government of India. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  25. ↑ "Govt announces names of 118 Padma Shri awardees on Republic Day eve". India Today. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.