Importance of 26th January: Indian Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950; it was the day when India declared itself Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state. Indian Constitution was drafted by the Constitute Assembly, formed after Indian independence from British rule in 1947, headed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The roots for the establishment of this day are from the Lahore Session of Indian National Congress at the midnight of 31st December 1929-1st January 1930 when the tri color flag was unfurled by the nationalists and a pledge was taken that they will celebrate Independence day on 26 January every year and that the people of country would unceasingly strive for the establishment of a Sovereign Democratic Republic of India. India became independent from the British rule on August 15, 1947 and after that there was need of a constitution for the country which came into force on 26 January, 1950. The Indian Constituent Assembly met on December 9, 1946 and Assembly appointed a number of committees to report on various aspects of proposed constitution. The Indian Constitution was finalized with 395 Articles and eight Schedules, and was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. The Indian Republic officially came into being on January 26, 1950. It was not a random date chosen as republic day as it had many important facts linked with the past as it was the date in 1927 when the Indian National Congress fighting its non-violent war for freedom voted for the complete independence as against ‘dominion status’ and it was 26 January which was pledged by Indian National Congress to make the country sovereign democratic republic. Constitution was written and adopted on November 1949 and 26 January of following year 1950 was chosen as the official day for the adoption of constitution. India has lengthiest and the most detailed constitution in the world. This day is celebrated as Republic day annually after 1950 as it was day after which India became a nation in true sense with constitution and the elected representatives of the people so it is very important national event and one of the three national holidays. Indian other two national holidays are Independence Day on August 15 since 1947 and the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on October 2. It is event of national importance and is celebrated across the country with big fame.
Celebration of Republic day: Republic day is celebrated in all states but most important event is in capital of India, New Delhi. Colourful parade starts from Raisina Hill, nearby the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Indian President’s Palace), and it passes through Rajghat and India Date and ends at the historic Red Fort. At the India Gate, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, President of India takes the salute. Parade includes various armed forces march past, new missiles and other weapons which show strength of Indian forces. Various cultural activities are also included in the parade from the different states of India which shows cultural heritage of the country. This moving show depicts the scenes of activities of people in the particular state and their dance and songs. President of India unfurls the flag on this special day in the morning and gives speech to the country. The award ceremony is also held in which medals are given to the armed forces for their bravery & exceptional courage. Civilians who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of velour in different situations are also rewarded by the President of India. The Republic day event ends with the fly past of Air force jets forming tri colour in the sky. The Republic day celebrations from New Delhi are telecasted on the National Television and millions of viewers from different part of country watch this event. Similarly, it is celebrated in all states where Governor unfurls the flag and takes the salute. In the absence of the Governor due to some reasons or unwell then Chief Minister of the state takes the honour in the capital city of state.
Chief Guest on Republic day this year: This year India is celebrating its 61st Republic day and on this eve President of Korea Mr. Lee Myung-bak will be the chief guest. Prior to his presidency, Lee Myung-bak was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He became 17th President of Korea on 25 February 2008. Lee Myung-bak arrived on Sunday to India for four day visit and he was accompanied by his wife Kim Yoon-ok and a high level delegation including many business representatives. He will be given military honours at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday and after that he will proceed to the Rajghat to lay wreath at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. He has schedule to meet top Indian leaders including President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He would also meet Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
Popular songs on Republic day: On this day whole country is flavor of Nationalism and this festival helps to unite the country. On this festive occasion many events are organized in the schools and colleges by the students which includes some patriotic songs and other memories of past. The popular songs which are played on this special day include the National Anthem of India which was composed by Rabindranath Tagore in Bengali and it was adopted in its Hindi version by constitution Assembly on 24th January 1950. One famous Indian poem which is sung on this patriotic day is Sare Jahan Se Aacha which makes us feel proud on our nation and there are many other patriotic songs like Ae Mere Pyare Vatan, Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, Vande Maataram, Vah desh kaun sa hai, Honge kaamyaab hum honge kaamyaab, Mere desh ki dharti, Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab, Maa Tujhhe Salaam, Bharat humko jaan se, Jahan Daal Daal Par Sone, Kasam Tumko Watan, Watan paraston Ki, Mera Rangde Basanti Chola, Aye Watan, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan which are sung on Republic day. This day unites the nation as one even with its diversity and makes people feel proud being Indian citizens.
History of Republic Day: Republic Day is celebrated every year on 26th January in the country as it is India’s great national festival. The day is to celebrate India’s freedom and democracy and it is also been celebrated all over the country as the national holiday. As we know that India achieved freedom from the Britishers on 15th August 1947, but the Constitution of India actually framed by the constituent Assembly and came into force on 26th January 1950. The Indian Constituent assembly met on 9th December, 1946 and appointed the number of committees to report on the various aspects of the proposed constitution. The Indian constitution thus was finalized with 395 Articles and 8 schedules and came into force on 26th January 1950. The date 26th January was not any random date selected but it was a very special date as Indian National Congress was fighting its non-violent war for freedom on the same day. It was the date which was selected by the members of Indian National Congress to take the pledge to work towards a ‘sovereign democratic republic’ of India. So it was a day when India became a nation in true sense, with a constitution and elected representatives of the people. The motive of celebration of Republic Day is not only to celebrate India’s Democracy or secularism but also to feel the proud of our religions, customs, languages and incredible culture and traditions that makes up India a wonderful multi-cultural country and which makes us much proud of our country’s achievements which turn the celebrations more interesting and colorful. Republic Day guarantees the fundamental rights and the rights of equality to the citizens of India. The specialty of the day is that the rich cultural heritage and traditions of country are reflected on this day. These is the day when every state and religion of our country comes forward and celebrates together the feeling of proud and identify themselves as true Indians and not with some particular religion or caste. This feeling and love for the country makes this day a special one from the rest of the days. Similarly, many other countries are also celebrating their Republic days like: Hungary celebrates on 1 February, 23rd March Pakistan, 28th May in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nepal, 31st May South Africa, June 2 Italy, October 5 Portugal, 10th October Republic of China, and December 18th in Niger and many more.
Celebrations of Republic Day with great enthusiasm: Republic Day is India’s great festival and celebrated all over the country on 26th January every year with a great enthusiasm and integrity. Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. In New Delhi, the grand parade is being organized, where all the wings and branches of the armed forces, the police, National Cadet Corps and students from various schools and institutions take part in the celebration and becomes the grand affair every year. The graphic descriptions of the cultural heritage of the different states are put up by the different states of the country. The latest armaments the country has got are also being displayed every year in the parade. This parade starts from the India Gate and moves through Rajpath. The President of India, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. In addition to March pasts and graphic descriptions, the cultural programmes are also performed by the children from different schools. The different achievements are recognized and awarded on the Republic day. The selected children are awarded the Children’s Bravery Awards on this day. Soldiers are also awarded bravery medals, Param Veer Chakra, Veer Chakra and Mahaveer Chakra for their outstanding performances. This is the day when the Tri-color national Flag is unfurls in different -different places of the country and pledge is also being taken every year on 26th January. The head of state becomes the chief guest on this day. The Indian Constitution closely follows the British Parliamentary model, but differs from it in one important respect that is, the Constitution is supreme, not the Parliament. So the Indian courts are vested with the authority to adjudicate on the constitutionality of any law passed by the Indian Parliament.
Indian National Congress: Indian National Congress is a major political party of India and Founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, Mahadev Govind Ranade and William Wedderburn. Indian National Movement played very important role in freedom fights and struggle against British rule and became the leader of the Indian Independence Movement. It included almost 15 million members and 70 million participants in its struggle. India achieved freedom on 15th August 1947, after independence the INC became the nation’s dominant and most powerful political party and the leader for the same was Nehru Gandhi and his family. In the general elections of 2009, the Congress appeared as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha which included 206 candidates getting elected to the 543 member house. So with the coalition of UPA, it was able to gain a majority and form the government. The party remained in power for continuously 30 years from the Independence-1947 to 1977. The first serious challenge to Congress came in 1967, when a united opposition under the banner of Samyukt Vidhayak Dal, won the control over many states in the Hindi Belt. At that time the daughter of Nehru, was the president of the party. This conflict split to the party and the formation of a new party arrised as New Congress, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi. And the official party became known as Indian National Congress under the leadership of Kamaraj and informally called old congress.Indira Gandhi raised the slogans ‘Garibi Hatao’ and wanted to raise closer ties with Soviet Union. Afterward the party’s reins were taken over by Sitaram Kesri and oversaw the Congress support to the United Front Governments. In 1998, Sonia Gandhi finally accepted the post of Congress president.
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