Republic Day (India)

The Republic Day of India is a national holiday of India to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950. It is one of the three national holidays in India.

History

Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, the Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950. During the transition period from 1947 to 1950, King George VI was the head of country. C. Rajagopalachari served as the Governor-General of India during this period. Following January 26, 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as the president of India.

[edit] Celebrations

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force march past in all their finery an

d official decorations. The President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. Parades demonstrating the cultures of the various states and regions of India are also held and broadcast nationwide on television. The parade also includes vibrant displays and floats and traditionally ends with a flypast by Indian Air Force jets.

Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governor of the state is unwell, or is unav

ailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honor of unfurling the National Flag of India.

[edit] Chief Guest

India hosts another head of state as the chief guest o

n this day. The strategic importance of any nation as associated by India can be easily attributed from this list.

2009 President of India - Smt. Pratibha Patil

Year	Guest N ame	Country
1976	Prime Minister Jacque s Chirac	France
1978	President Dr.Patrick Hil lery	Ireland
1986	Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou	Greece
1992	President Mário Soares	Portugal
1995	President Nelson Mandela[1]	South Africa
1996	President Dr. Fernando He nrique Cardoso	Brazil
1997	Prime Minister Basdeo Panday	Trinidad and Tobago
1998	President Jacques Chirac	France
1999	King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev	Nepal
2000	President Olusegun Obasanjo	Nigeria
2001	President Abdelaziz Bouteflika	Algeria
2002	President Cassam Uteem	Mauritius
2003	President Mohammed Khatami	Iran
2004	President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva	Brazil
2005	King Jigme Singye Wangchuk	Bhutan
2006	King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud	Saudi Arabia
2007	President Vladimir Putin	Russia
2008	President Nicolas Sarkozy	France
2009	President Nursultan Nazarbayev	Kazakhstan

About Republic Day

26th January 1950 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.

Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms.

The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.

The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.

REPUBLIC DAY OF INDIA

Republic Day is India's great national festival. It is celebrated every year on January 26, in New Delhi with great pomp and pageant and in capitals of the States, as well as at other headquarters and important places with patriotic fervour.

It was the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress at midnight of December 31, 1929 - January 1, 1930, that the Tri-Colour Flag was unfurled by the nationalists and a pledge taken that every year on January 26, the "Republic Day" would be celebrated and that the people would unceasingly strive for the establishment of a Sovereign Democratic Republic of India. The professed pledge was successfully redeemed on 26 January, 1950, when the Constitution of India framed by the Constituent Assembly of India came into force, although the Independence from the British rule was achieved on August 15, 1947.

It is because of this that August 15 is celebrated as Independence Day, while January 26 as Republic Day. The most spectacular celebrations include the march past of the three armed Forces, massive parades, folk dances by tribal folk from the different states in picturesque costumes marking the cultural unity of India. Further, the streak of jet planes of Indian Air Force, leaving a trial of coloured smoke, marks the end of the festival. The trees on both sides of the routes and the lawns become alive with spectators.

The President of India at New Delhi, on this most colourful day, takes salute of the contingents of Armed Forces. In the States, the Governors take the salute, and in Taluqas and administrative headquarters on same procedure is adopted. At Vijay Chowk in New Delhi, three days later (i.e. 29th January) the massed bands of the Armed Forces "Beat the Retreat" in a majestic manner.


The Republic Day celebrations have rightly become world famous as one of thegreatest shows on earth drawing thousandsof eager sight-seers from all over the country and many parts of the world. No other country can draw on such a wealth of tribal traditions and cultures, so many regional forms of dances and dress. And, no other country in the world can parade so many ethnically different people in splendid uniforms as India's Armed Forces. But they are all united in their proven loyalty to the Government elected by the people and in their proud traditions and legendary gallantry.

Celebrations:

Officially, Republic Day is celebrated all over the country - national capital, state capitals, municipal corporations, panchayats, and other official agencies. At the level of the people, it is observed in homes, housing colonies, schools, colleges and institutions of every kind.

India steps up security ahead of Republic Day

by By Alistair Scrutton

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Troops stepped up patrols in many parts of India and cities were on high alert as the country prepared its Republic Day celebrations on Monday only two months after the Mumbai attacks.

Police said they killed two suspected Pakistani militants after a pre-dawn car chase on Sunday at Noida bordering New Delhi. Police recovered AK-47 rifles, grenades and a Pakistani passport.

The Mumbai attacks in late November, when Pakistani militants killed 179 people in coordinated assaults, have raised tension between nuclear powers India and Pakistan. India has blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militants for the attacks.

On Sunday, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir region killed two senior separatist militants on the national highway, officials said. Troops also opened fire after four to five militants tried to cross the border from the Pakistan side.

Every year, rebels call for a boycott of India's Republic Day, which marks adoption of a republican constitution after independence from Britain, and other holidays. They often carry out attacks on security forces and government buildings.

India will host Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the celebrations in New Delhi, when India displays its military might.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, recovering in hospital after a heart bypass operation on Saturday, will not attend the event.

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