Republic Day of India

As the aurora will consume the darkness of night on 26^th January, 2012, India will step in to its 64^th year of raucous and irrepressible Republic giving us a chance to reminisce the moments on its journey from India to a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic country…

India attained independence on 15^th august 1947 but it did not have a constitution of its own, a written document of rights and duties for its citizens, but on this very day in the year 1950 the constitution was enforced.

Let us embark upon a journey back in time…

In the year 1858 the British crown acquired the sovereignty over India from the East India Company after the 1857 war of independence. The absolute imperial control was established on the administration of the country. The activities to fulfil the dream to attain independence started gaining pace sporadically after the First World War and the campaign for self government was started, in response to which the British government made some reforms in the governance. However this failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people in India and led to an agitation for ‘Swaraj’ or ‘Self-government’ under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. According to Mahatma Gandhi, a country’s political destiny should be determined by its people.

After the year 1935, the Indian National Congress stood firmly for the independence and a democratic state. It proposed that the constitution of free India should be framed without any outside interference. The British government gave in to the persistent demand which was resisted until the outbreak of the World War II, to solve the Indian Constitutional problem. In 1942, the British government drafted a declaration proposing that the Constitution should give India a dominion status i.e. equal partnership of the British commonwealth of nations. However this proposal was rejected paving way to a dynamic ‘Quit India’ movement launched by the Congress. The British government expedited the preparations for the transfer of power owing to the heightening dissent and impatience among the people of India. The British Parliament lost no time to draft the Indian Independence Bill and it received the Royal Assent on July 18, 1947. According to the Indian Independence Act, from the ‘appointed date’ i.e. 15^th August 1947 India would be independent and the Constituent Assembly would have unlimited power to frame and adopt the constitution.

The Constituent Assembly elected on the basis of adult franchise held its first seating on 6^th December, 1946, forgathered again on 14^th August, 1947 as a Sovereign Constituent Assembly. The salient features were outlined by various committees and the Constituent Assembly appointed a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B R. Ambedkar. The draft of the constitution was published in February, 1948. After several sessions of reading and revision it was completed in November, 1949 and the Members of the Parliament appended their signatures and it also received the consent of the President of the Constituent Assembly Dr. Rajendra Prasad and was declared passed. The Constitution came in to force on 26^th January, 1950. The 26^th of January was chosen as the Date of Commencement of Constitution because on this very day the first Independence day or ‘Poorna Swaraj’ (complete independence) was celebrated. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, an apostle of peace, an architect of India’s destiny, the author of Panchasheel and the creator of Non-Alignment, unfurled the tricolour at the banks of river Ravi, at Lahore and sowed the seeds of a Independent and republic nation deep in the hearts of people.

India adopted democracy, which is rightfully defined by Abraham Lincoln as the government of the people, for the people and by the people. It is based on the cardinal principles of liberty, equality, fraternity and the rights of the individuals. The Indian Constitution is a beautiful patchwork prepared after ‘ransacking all the known constitutions of the world’ and taking into consideration the present and future needs of the country. The Constitution of India is secernated as the most lengthy and detailed constitutional document in the world.

Every year Republic Day is celebrated with great patriotic fervour all over the country. Preparations begin at least 2 or 3 months before the actual day. The celebrations commence with the address of the President of India on the eve of the Republic day. 26^th January is a public holiday, the national flag is hoisted in all the schools, institutions and offices. But the celebration of Republic day at the school is simply a beautiful and colourful memory, which when thought about spreads a wide smile on my face. 26^th January and of course 15^th August (Independence day) were the best days of the year as we had to attend the school that day without any school bag, with flags in our hands, hearts filled with enthusiasm, singing patriotic songs or sometimes rehearsing the speech to be rendered in the assembly. Flag is hoisted, patriotic songs are sung, cultural programs are organised, and lots of chocolates and other sweets are distributed at the end of the ceremony and then its time to rush back home to watch the Republic Day Parade which is aired live from Delhi, from Raisina Hill near Rashtrapati Bhavan along the Rajpath. It is indeed extravagant and a spectacular fiesta. The regiments of army, the air force, the navy, the cavalry march past demoing all their finery. The children who have won the national bravery award are also a part of the parade. The best part of the parade is the picturesque showcase of the culture through the floats or tableau’s. The pageant of the magnificent floats of all the states try to the capture the indigenous culture of the state brandishing bewildering diversity. Together with tolerance, having equipoise, characterised by harmony it symbolizes Unity in Diversity.

Republic Day other than being a holiday reminds us about our duties towards the nation. This is the land where ‘non-violence’ was born; where grand civilizations like Harappa and Mohenjodaro existed; the land which donated to the world the concept of zero and the decimal system. A pristine national character is necessary to be possessed by us to keep the banner of the country up and fulfil the dreams of the martyrs who selflessly sacrificed their lives to give us an independent future.

Slow down for a moment from the pacing hectic life, catch a breath, feel the thumping heartbeats of the nation, sense the fragment of its soul coalesced in to each one of us, experience a spectacular delineation of a true fusion of vibrant contrasts, plunge in to patriotism, and rise as a true Indian.

Let us promise our Mother India that we will eradicate the evils, acquire the requisite culture, discipline, habit of tolerance, goodwill, patriotism, mutual respect & pledge to be united. We the citizen’s of India, bearing a sublime vision, with a tireless determination, script glorious chapters in the scripture of development, heralding a new era where India will be perched on the pinnacle of the world.

JAI HIND!!!