Why do we celebrate 26 January as Republic Day

Republic Day is the one day that brings Indians from all over together. It rightly emphasizes the joy of oneness amidst diversity.

One of the iconic songs that bind us and our parent’s generation was ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’, which describes that all Indians are one. The song embodied the spirit of India and it was on the lips of so many Indians. Though more than 30 years now, it has a contextual relevance and would be a great legacy to introduce our children to and revive our memories.

We got freedom from the British Raj after a long struggle in 1947. Independence came through the Indian Independence Act of 1947 under the Parliament of the UK that “partitioned British India into two new independent Dominions of the Commonwealth. In spite of receiving Independence, we didn’t have a permanent constitution.

A drafting committee was formed to draft a permanent constitution with Dr BR Ambedkar as chairman on August 28, 1947. The committee drafted a constitution which was submitted to the Constituent Assembly on November 4, 1947. The Assembly met with a session that was open to the public and worked for almost 166 days before adopting the constitution. Finally, 308 members signed two hand-written documents on January 24, 1950. And two days later the constitution came to being.

Every year on 26 January, Republic Day is celebrated in New Delhi at Rajpath with the President and the presence of other dignitaries. The celebrations not only celebrate unity in diversity but the performances are meant to pay a tribute to our rich culture and its diversity.