Republic Day (India)

Republic Day
	The original text of the Preamble to the Constitution of India. The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950.
Observed by	India
Type	National
Significance	Inception of Constitution of India
Celebrations	Parades, distribution of sweets in schools, speeches and cultural dances
Date	26 January
Frequency	Annual

Republic Day is a national holiday in India. It honours the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India and thus, turning the nation into a newly formed republic.[1]

The Constitution was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950 with a democratic government system, completing the country's transition towards becoming an independent republic. 26 January was chosen as the date for Republic day because it was on this day in 1929 when the Declaration of Indian Independence (Purna Swaraj) was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress as opposed to the Dominion status offered by the British Regime.

History of Republic Day

India achieved independence from British Raj on 15 August 1947 following the Indian independence movement. The independence came through the Indian Independence Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo 6 c 30), an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent Dominions of the British Commonwealth (later Commonwealth of Nations).[2] India obtained its independence on 15 August 1947 as a constitutional monarchy with George VI as head of state and the Earl Mountbatten as governor-general. The country, though, did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935. On 29 August 1947, a resolution was moved for the appointment of Drafting Committee, which was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Dr B R Ambedkar as chairman. While India's Independence Day celebrates its freedom from British Rule, the Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution. A draft constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1947.[3] The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period of two years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and English) on 24 January 1950. Two days later which was on 26 January 1950, it came into effect throughout the whole nation. On that day, Dr. Rajendra Prasad's began his first term of office as President of the Indian Union. The Constituent Assembly became the Parliament of India under the transitional provisions of the new Constitution.

Celebrations

President Rajendra Prasad (in the horse-drawn carriage) readies to take part in the first Republic Day parade on Rajpath, New Delhi, in 1950.

The main Republic Day celebration is held in the national capital, New Delhi, at the Rajpath before the President of India. On this day, ceremonious parades take place at the Rajpath, which are performed as a tribute to India; its unity in diversity and rich cultural heritage.

Delhi Republic Day parade

The Delhi Republic Day parade is held in the capital, New Delhi and is organised by the Ministry of Defence. Commencing from the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's residence), Raisina Hill on Rajpath past the India Gate, this event is the main attraction of India's Republic Day Celebrations and lasts for three days. The parade showcases India's Defence Capability, Cultural and Social Heritage.[4]

Nine to twelve different regiments of the Indian Army in addition to the Navy, and Air Force with their bands march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. Twelve contingents of various para-military forces of India and police forces also take part in this parade.[5]

Beating Retreat

The Beating Retreat ceremony is held after officially denoting the end of Republic Day festivities. It is conducted on the evening of 29 January, the third day after the Republic Day. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military, the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The venue is Raisina Hill and an adjacent square, Vijay Chowk, flanked by the North and South block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath.[6]

The Chief Guest of the function is the President of India who arrives escorted by the (PBG), a cavalry unit. When the President arrives, the PBG commander asks the unit to give the National Salute, which is followed by the playing of the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, by the Army. The Army develops the ceremony of display by the massed bands in which Military Bands, Pipe and Drum Bands, Buglers and Trumpeters from various Army Regiments besides bands from the Navy and Air Force take part which play popular tunes like Abide With Me, Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn, and Saare Jahan Se Achcha at the end.[7][8][9]

Award distribution

On the eve of Republic Day, the President of India distributes Padma Awards to the civilians of India every year. These are the second highest civilian awards in India after Bharat Ratna. These awards are given in three categories, viz. Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, in decreasing order of importance.

Padma Vibhushan for "exceptional and distinguished service". Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award in India.
Padma Bhushan for "distinguished service of a high order". Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in India .
Padma Shri for "distinguished service". Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award in India.

While being national honours, the Padma awards do not include cash allowances, benefits, or special concessions in rail/air travel.[10] Per a December 1995 judgment of the Supreme Court of India, no titles or honorifics are associated with the Bharat Ratna or any of the Padma awards; Honorees cannot use them or their initials as suffixes, prefixes or pre- and post-nominals attached to the awardee's name. This includes any such use on letterheads, invitation cards, posters, books etc. In the case of any misuse, the awardee will forfeit the award, and he or she will be cautioned against any such misuse upon receiving the honour.[11]

The decoration comprises a sanad (Certificate) issued under the hand and seal of the President and a Medallion. The recipients are also given a replica of the medallion, which they can wear during any ceremonial/State functions etc., if they desire. A commemorative brochure giving out brief details in respect of each award winner is also released on the day of the investiture ceremony.

Gallery

The Flag of India on Republic Day
A dog jumping through a ring of fire at a Republic Day celebration in Nagapattinam
Buildings on Raisina Hill including Rashtrapati Bhavan, lit up during Republic Day 2008.
Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team displaying tricolor.
Border Security Force personnel on Republic Day.

Republic Day parade chief guest

Countries invited as chief guests for the Republic Day parade. Erstwhile Yugoslavia (twice invited) has not been depicted in the map.

5 times (France, UK)

4 times (Bhutan, Russia/USSR)

Thrice (Brazil, Indonesia, Mauritius)

Twice (Japan, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam)

Once

Uninvited

Since 1950, India has been hosting head of state or government of another country as the state guest of honour for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. During 1950–1954, Republic Day celebrations were organised at different venues (like Irwin Stadium, Kingsway, Red Fort and Ramlila Grounds). It was only starting 1955 when the parade in its present form was organised at Rajpath.[12] The guest country is chosen after a deliberation of strategic, economic and political interests. During 1950s–1970s, a number of NAM and Eastern Bloc countries were hosted by India. In 1968 and 1974, India played host to two countries on the same Republic Day.

By region, the invitations break up as follows:

Region	Invitations	Countries
South and Central Asia	14	Afghanistan, Bhutan (4 times), Kazakhstan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal (twice), Pakistan (twice), Sri Lanka (twice)
East and South-East Asia	19	Brunei, Cambodia (twice), China, Indonesia (thrice), Japan (twice), Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore (twice), South Korea, Thailand (twice), Vietnam (twice)
West Asia and Saharan Africa	4	Algeria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE
West Africa	2	Nigeria (twice)
Central and Southern Africa	3	Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa (twice)
East Africa	5	Mauritius (thrice), Tanzania, Zambia
Eastern Europe	8	Bulgaria, Poland, Yugoslavia (twice), USSR/Russia (4 times)
Western Europe and North America	17	Belgium, Denmark, France (5 times), Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom (5 times), US (once)
Latin America and Caribbean	2	Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago
South America	5	Argentina, Brazil (thrice), Peru
Oceania	1	Australia

Year	Chief Guest	Country	Note
1950	President Sukarno[13]	Indonesia
1951	King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah[14]	Nepal
1952	No invitation
1953	No invitation
1954	King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck[15]	Bhutan
1955	Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad[16]	Pakistan	First guest for parade at Rajpath[17]
1956	Chancellor of the Exchequer Rab Butler	United Kingdom	Two guests[18][note 1]
1956	Chief Justice Kōtarō Tanaka	Japan	Two guests[18][note 1]
1957	Minister of Defence Georgy Zhukov[20]	Soviet Union
1958	Marshall Ye Jianying[21]	China
1959	Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip[22][23][24]	United Kingdom	2nd invitation
1960	Chairman Kliment Voroshilov[25]	Soviet Union	2nd invitation
1961	Queen Elizabeth II[26]	United Kingdom	3rd invitation[note 2]
1962	Prime Minister Viggo Kampmann[27]	Denmark	[note 3]
1963	King Norodom Sihanouk[29]	Cambodia
1964	Chief of Defence Staff Lord Louis Mountbatten[19]	United Kingdom	4th invitation[note 1]
1965	Food and Agriculture Minister Rana Abdul Hamid	Pakistan	2nd invitation
1966	No invitation[note 4]
1967	King Mohammed Zahir Shah[31]	Afghanistan	[note 5]
1968	Chairman Alexei Kosygin	Soviet Union	3rd invitation	Two guests[34]
1968	President Josip Broz Tito	Yugoslavia		Two guests[34]
1969	Prime Minister Todor Zhivkov[35]	Bulgaria
1970	King Baudouin[36][37]	Belgium	[note 6]
1971	President Julius Nyerere[38]	Tanzania
1972	Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam[39]	Mauritius
1973	President Mobutu Sese Seko[40]	Zaire
1974	President Josip Broz Tito	Yugoslavia	2nd invitation	Two guests[41]
1974	Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike	Sri Lanka		Two guests[41]
1975	President Kenneth Kaunda[42]	Zambia
1976	Prime Minister Jacques Chirac[43]	France
1977	First Secretary Edward Gierek[44]	Poland
1978	President Patrick Hillery[45]	Ireland
1979	Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser[46]	Australia
1980	President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing	France	2nd invitation
1981	President Jose Lopez Portillo[47]	Mexico
1982	King Juan Carlos I[48]	Spain
1983	President Shehu Shagari[49]	Nigeria
1984	King Jigme Singye Wangchuck[50]	Bhutan	2nd invitation
1985	President Raúl Alfonsín[51]	Argentina
1986	Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou[52]	Greece
1987	President Alan Garcia[53]	Peru
1988	President J. R. Jayewardene[54]	Sri Lanka	2nd invitation
1989	General Secretary Nguyễn Văn Linh[55]	Vietnam
1990	Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth[56]	Mauritius	2nd invitation
1991	President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom[57]	Maldives
1992	President Mário Soares[57]	Portugal
1993	Prime Minister John Major[57]	United Kingdom	5th invitation
1994	Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong[57]	Singapore
1995	President Nelson Mandela[58]	South Africa
1996	President Fernando Henrique Cardoso[57]	Brazil
1997	Prime Minister Basdeo Panday[57]	Trinidad and Tobago
1998	President Jacques Chirac[57]	France	3rd invitation
1999	King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah[57]	Nepal	2nd invitation
2000	President Olusegun Obasanjo[57]	Nigeria	2nd invitation
2001	President Abdelaziz Bouteflika[57]	Algeria
2002	President Cassam Uteem[57]	Mauritius	3rd invitation
2003	President Mohammed Khatami[57]	Iran
2004	President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva[57]	Brazil	2nd invitation
2005	King Jigme Singye Wangchuck[57]	Bhutan	3rd invitation
2006	King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud[57]	Saudi Arabia
2007	President Vladimir Putin[57]	Russia	4th invitation
2008	President Nicolas Sarkozy[57]	France	4th invitation
2009	President Nursultan Nazarbayev[57]	Kazakhstan
2010	President Lee Myung Bak[59]	South Korea
2011	President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono[60][61]	Indonesia	2nd invitation
2012	Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra[62]	Thailand
2013	King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck[63]	Bhutan	4th invitation
2014	Prime Minister Shinzo Abe[64]	Japan	2nd invitation
2015	President Barack Obama[65]	United States
2016	President François Hollande	France	5th invitation[66]
2017	Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan[67]	United Arab Emirates
2018	Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah	Brunei		Ten guests (Heads of ASEAN states)[68]
	Prime Minister Hun Sen	Cambodia	2nd invitation
	President Joko Widodo	Indonesia	3rd invitation
	Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith	Laos
	Prime Minister Najib Razak	Malaysia
	State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi	Myanmar
	President Rodrigo Duterte	Philippines
	Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong	Singapore	2nd invitation
	Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha	Thailand	2nd invitation
	Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc	Vietnam	2nd invitation
2019	President Cyril Ramaphosa[69][70]	South Africa	2nd invitation
2020	President Jair Bolsonaro[71]	Brazil	3rd invitation

Notes

On each of these occasions, Lady Edwina Mountbatten from United Kingdom was also the official guest for the parade.[18][19]
Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip also accompanied Queen Elizabeth II during the parade.[26]
Danish Prime Minister attended Republic Day in Madras (Chennai).[28]
No invitations were sent out possibly due to the demise of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on 11 January 1966 in Tashkent. The new government headed by Indira Gandhi was sworn on 24 January 1966 (only two days before the Republic Day).[30]
For the first time, the President of India (Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan) could not take the salute at the Republic Day parade due to ill-health.[32] Zahir Shah arrived on 28 January.[33]
Attended only the Beating Retreat[36][37]

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