72nd Republic Day Celebrated in Rajpath, Delhi on January 26

New Delhi: The flag was hoisted in the presence of the honourable President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and other honourable dignitaries on the auspicious occasion of 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday in Rajpath, New Delhi.

Republic Day and its Significance:

Every year, Republic Day is celebrated in India on January 26 since 1950 to mark the establishment of the Indian Constitution which first came to effect on this very day. India was under British Colonial Rule for over two hundred long years and got its freedom on August 15, 1947, by the Indian Independence movement. Although India was free from the British Raj it didn't have any fixed constitution and at that period the laws were based on a modified version of the British established, Government of India Act 1935. Eventually after two weeks on August 29, 1947, with B R Ambedkar as the chairperson, a drafting committee was set up in order to draft the fixed constitution of India. And with a lot of hard work, the constitution was finally drafted and India was declared as the Sovereign Republic on January 26.

The significance of January 26 is that on that day in 1929, the Indian National Congress made the well known Declaration of Indian Independence (Purna Swaraj) as opposed to British rule. And though the Constitution came into force in 1950 with a democratic government system, it was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949. This completed the country's transition into becoming a sovereign republic.

The draft of the constitution was submitted to the Indian Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1947. Over the course of 166 days, which was spread over two years, the 308 members of the Assembly met in sessions that were open to the public and made some modifications. Finally, on January 24, 1950, the Assembly members signed two handwritten copies of the Constitution, one in English and one in Hindi. The Indian Constitution is the longest written constitution in the world. And two days later history was made. On that day began Dr Rajendra Prasad's 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.

India Celebrates its 72nd Republic:

On account of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic, this year we've witnessed some changes on some of the oldest traditions of the celebrations of Republic Day. Unlike the other years, this year there were limited visitors at the event, with limited tableaus displayed and participants in the parade. It was compulsory for the guests attending the parade in Rajpath to go through advisory Covid 19 protocols including wearing masks, sanitization, and temperature check. 

The prime attractions were Rafale fly-past, the Bangladesh foreign contingent, and the first woman Indian fighter pilot. There was a total of 32 tableaux displayed— 17 from states and UTs, nine from ministries, and six from the defence arm, including of IAF, Navy, Indian Naval Coast Guard, two from the DRDO, and one from Border Roads Organization (BRO). But the spirit of this auspicious day has always remained high. There was no chief guest this year and the route of the parade was shortened to 3.5km which was just till the end of India Gate rather than Red Fort (8.5km). 

The Schedule for the Day:

 Also read: 72nd Republic Day 2021: Tableaux to be Displayed this Year

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