All of us know that January 26 is Republic Day but what exactly are we celebrating? Also how is it different from Independence Day on August 15? Let’s find out.
Let’s look at how we celebrate Republic Day. Beginning with a grand parade on January 26 and ending with Beating the Retreat on January 29, the celebrations highlight India’s military and cultural power. On January 26, the proceedings begin with the Prime Minister laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial to the many unknown soldiers who died during the freedom struggle and post-independence. Once the President raises the flag, the parade begins from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan with regiments and bands from the Army, Air Force and Navy marching past the dais where the President takes the salute. Paramilitary forces like the Border Security Force (BSF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and others also take part in the march past. The camel contingent from the BSF makes an arresting sight and is the only military force mounted on camels. Apart from the men and women of the armed forces, the Republic Day parade also shows off the latest in missiles and military technology. In 2016, for the first time, a foreign army contingent participated in the parade. It was the French Army’s 35th Infantry Regiment. The finale for this segment is usually the daredevil motorcycle riders from the Army and a fly past by Air Force jets and helicopters.
When the armed forces finish their shows, in come the tableaux from each state which shows off the life of the people and their artistic sensibilities. Each tableaux is accompanied by music and songs of the state it represents.
January 29 is the Beating the Retreat. This takes place in the evening with the bands from all three wings of the armed forces performing at Raisina Hills and Vijay Chowk. Apart from the National Anthem, they perform numbers like ‘Abide With Me’, ‘Saare Jahaan Se Achcha’, ‘Sons of the Brave’, and ‘Qadam Qadam Badaye Ja’, among others. You can watch the 2016 event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH9Y-ay2H7A
Every year, as we celebrate Republic Day, we affirm that India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic that assures its citizens justice, equality and liberty.
With effect from...
When India threw off the British rule in 1947, the country did not have a permanent constitution. Instead, its laws were derived from the Government of India Act of 1935, which was passed by the colonial government. So, when India gained independence on August 15, 1947, it was headed by a constitutional monarch with George VI of England as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Independent India’s first Governor General.
On January 26, 1950, the Constitution came into effect and India became a republic. Why January 26? Because, on that date in 1930, the Purna Swaraj declaration was made public by the leaders of the freedom struggle. Apart from borrowing ideas from the constitutions of countries as varied as the U.K., the U.S., France, Canada, the Soviet Union among others, the Constitution also kept some features from the legislations enacted by the colonial British government like the Government of India Act 1858, India Councils Act 1892 and the Government of India Act 1919. India is governed by the Constitution, which lays down in great detail the main political principles, how government institutions should function and the rights and duties of the citizens.
The need of the hour was a permanent constitution. So, on August 28, 1947, a Drafting Committee was established under the chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The members of this Committee were Pt G.B. Pant, K.M. Munshi, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, N. Gopalswami Ayengar, B.L. Mitter, Md Saadullah, and D.P. Khaitan. Sir Benegal Narsing Rao (who was later the first Indian judge at the International Court of Justice) was the advisor to the committee. On B.L. Mitter’s resignation, he was replaced by Madhav Rao and T.T. Krishnamachari took the place of D.P. Khaitan on the latter's death. The first draft was submitted to the Constituent Assembly on November 5, 1947 and then discussed for more than two years — two years, 11 months and 18 days to be precise. Many changes made before the Constitution took its final form. All the deliberations were open to the public. The final version was hand-written in Hindi and English and the 308 members of the Constituent Assembly signed the two copies on January 24, 1950. These are preserved in the Parliament house. But you can see the digitised version here: https://www.wdl.org/en/item/2672/
In essence
What does the word ‘republic’ mean? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word refers to a state where “supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives”. The word is derived from Latin; res publica or the public thing. Today, a republic stands for an elected government where the leader is appointed for a specified period and is governed by the constitution.
