Republic Day (India)
| Observed by | India |
|---|---|
| Type | National |
| Celebrations | Parades, distribution of sweets in schools and cultural dances |
| Date | 26 January |
| Next time | 26 January 2014 |
| Frequency | annual |
The Constitution was passed by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 but was adopted on 26 January 1950 with a democratic government system, completing the country's transition toward becoming an independent republic. 26 January was selected for this purpose because it was this day in 1930 when the Declaration of Indian Independence (Purna Swaraj) was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress.[2]
It is one of three national holidays in India, other two being Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.
History
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This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
A draft constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on 4 November 1947.[4] The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period of 2 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, it came into effect throughout the nation.
Celebrations
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.Delhi Republic Day parade
Main article: Delhi Republic Day parade
To mark the importance of the occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's residence), along the Rajpath, past India Gate.[5] Prior to its commencement, the Prime Minister lays a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial to unknown soldiers at the India Gate
at one end of Rajpath, which is followed by two minutes silence in the
memory of unknown soldiers. It is a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of
the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the
succeeding wars for the defence of sovereignty of their country.
Thereafter he/she reaches the main dais at Rajpath to join other
dignitaries, subsequently the President arrives along with the chief
guest of the occasion. They are escorted on horseback by the President's Bodyguard.Beating Retreat
Main article: Beating Retreat
The Beating Retreat
ceremony officially denotes 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 Hills 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.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 developed 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.[6][7
