Republic Day

In India, 26th of January is celebrated as Republic Day every year because the Constitution of India came into force on this day. It is celebrated as the national festival of India which has been declared as a national holiday. Gandhi Jayanti and Independence Day are other two national holidays of India. On 26th of January in 1950 our country became a complete Democratic Republic after reinforcement of the Constitution of India in the Indian Parliament.

On this day a great Indian army parade takes place which generally starts from the Vijay Chowk and ends at India Gate. Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) salute the President of India while parading on the Rajpath. The parade also showcases the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces exhibiting the advanced arms and warfare of the country. It is followed by the tableau or ‘Jhanki’ of each state displaying their culture and traditions. Students celebrate this day in the schools and colleges by participating in various events like parade, flag hoisting, speech competitions, plays and various other cultural programmes.

History of Republic DayIndia achieved independence from British Raj on 15 August 1947 following the Indian independence movement noted for largely peaceful non-violent resistance and civil disobedience led by Mahatma Gandhi. 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 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee 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 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.This date is celebrated in India as the Republic Day.

Source: internet