Republic India

INDIA today is celebrating its 62nd Republic Day with lot of enthusiasm and pride.

The Republic of India is a large South Asian country rich in ethnic diversity, with over one billion people speaking hundreds of languages. Politically it is the world's largest liberal democracy. The Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, and is the world's second-fastest growing economy. India is also the second most populated country in the world. India has grown significantly, in terms of both population and strategic importance, in the last twenty years attributed to economic reforms. As we walk through the history, India is an amazing discovery
and its history is a unique tale of the past. It is a civilization united by its diversity, richness of culture, the glory of past, the turbulences and triumphs.  Home to some of the most ancient civilizations in the world, India was formally ruled by the British for almost ninety years before gaining independence in 1947.

Republic Day, celebrated on January 26th every year, is one of India’s most important national events. It was on January 26th,1950 that the constitution of India came into force and India became a sovereign,democratic and republic state. On this day India finally enjoyed the freedom of spirit and fundamental principle of governance. The patriotic fervor of the Indian people on this day brings the whole country together even in her embedded diversity. Republic Day is celebrated most majestically in the
capital, New Delhi, where symbols of the great nation's military might and cultural wealth are displayed in what is the world's most impressive parade. All Government buildings are illuminated lending the city the atmosphere of a fairyland. This day is celebrated with much zeal and pride all across the nation. India gained independence on August 15, 1947. But till January 26, 1950, it did not have the proper law of the land for ruling the country. On this particular date in1950 the constitution of India came into force and India became true nation state with true sovereign and republic sense. Our constitution was formed by the Indian Constituent Assembly. The Indian Constituent Assembly met on December 9, 1946. The Assembly appointed a number
of committees to report on the various aspects of the proposed constitution. The
Constituent Assembly had appointed Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the Chairman to draft
the Constitution. The committee finalized the draft 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. January 26 was
not some random date picked out of the calendar. It was on this date in 1927
that the Indian National Congress, then fighting its non-violent war for freedom, voted for complete independence as against 'dominion status'. It was the date when members of the INC took the pledge to work towards a 'sovereign democratic Republic' of India. 

It was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since. The main celebrations are held in the form of a colorful parade near India Gate in Delhi. The parade showcasing India's military might
and cultural diversity covers an 8 km route, starting from the Rashtrapati Bhavan through the picturesque Rajpath down to India Gate before winding up at the historic Red Fort in Old Delhi.The events of the day begin with the Prime Minister laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti - India Gate. He then drives up to the central enclosure and awaits the arrival of the President and a Chief Guest of the occasion who is normally a Head of other Country. On the arrival, the honorable President meets the dignitaries present and unfurls the National Flag. Following this the National Anthem is played with a 21-gun salute to the National Flag. After this a brief investiture ceremony takes place during which the President presents India's top gallantry awards, the Param Veer Chakra, the Veer Chakra and the Maha Veer Chakra to the outstanding soldiers from the defense services. After this, four helicopters from the armed forces fly past the parade area showering rose petals on the audience. Each chopper carries a flag - the first being the Indian flag and the other three the flags of the Army, the Navy, and the Indian Air Force. The march past begins immediately
after the fly past. The President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, takes the salute of the mechanised, mounted and marching contingents of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Paramilitary forces, Police and the National Cadet Corps. After the march past comes the cultural extravaganza consisting of floats presented by the various states and performances by school children. After the floats, the bravery awards winning children from all over the country enter on elephants.

A spectacular fly-past by Air Force and Naval aircraft rounds off this not-to-be missed experience. The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. No other country in the world
can parade so many ethnically different people in splendid uniforms.

After three days of Republic Day parade, a moving ceremony known as "Beating Retreat" is held at the Vijay Chowk in New Delhi. This ceremony revives an ancient war custom according to which troops used to stop fighting at sunset. Bugles announcing the sunset would sound in the battlefield. As soon as soldiers heard these bugles they would stand still in the battlefield and war would be stopped for the day. This ceremony held on the 29th of January every year, marks the formal end of the Republic Day celebrations. The ceremony opens with a parade by select contingents of the armed forces set to scintillating performances by the various armed forces bands. The parade climaxes with all the bands playing in unison. As the bands fall silent, a lone trumpeter picks up the moving tune 'Siki a mole'. After this performance the hymn 'Abide with me' is played by the Massed Bands. This hymn, said to be Mahatma Gandhi's favourite, is a permanent feature of the ceremony. At exactly 6 pm, the buglers sound the retreat and the National Flag is lowered to the National Anthem bringing the Republic Day celebrations to a formal end. One by one, the camels and the riders who stand stone-like throughout against the backdrop of the sky, move away from the background. Just after this comes the most visually appealing part of the show. With the click of a button, a thousand bulbs light up the Rastrapati Bhavan and adjoining buildings. Surely a fitting end to the annual celebrations of the Indian republic!

But even after independence, India had to fight wars with its neighbors. Also within
India, states are fighting for sovereignty. This leads me to think are we
really a truly sovereign and republic country?