The
Republic Day of India is a national holiday of India
to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India
and the transition of India from a British Dominion
to a republic on January 26, 1950. It is one of
the three national holidays in India.
Although India obtained its independence on August
15, 1947, the Constitution of India came into effect
only on January 26, 1950. During the transition
period from 1947 to 1950, King George VI was the
head of country. C. Rajagopalachari served as the
Governor-General of India during this period. Following
January 26, 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as
the president of India.
To mark the importance of this occasion, every
year a grand parade is held in the capital, New
Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati
Bhavan (President's Palace), along the Rajpath,
past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort.
The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and
the Air Force march past in all their finery and
official decorations. The President of India who
is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces,
takes the salute. Parades demonstrating the cultures
of the various states and regions of India are also
held and broadcast nationwide on television. The
parade also includes vibrant displays and floats
and traditionally ends with a flypast by Indian
Air Force jets.
Celebrations are also held in state
capitals, where the governor of the state unfurls
the national flag. If the Governor of the state is
unwell, or is unavailable for some reason, the Chief
Minister of the state assumes the honor of unfurling
the National Flag of India.
Independence
Day
India's
Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate
its independence from the British rule and its birth
as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day
is a national holiday in India. It is celebrated
all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony.
The main celebration takes place in New Delhi, where
the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the
Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech
from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights
the achievements of his government during the past
year, raises important issues and gives a call for
further development. The Prime Minister also pays
his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle.
On 3 June 1947, Viscount Lord Louis Mountbatten,
the last British Governor-General of India, announced
the partitioning of the British Indian Empire into
India and Pakistan, under the provisions of the
Indian Independence Act 1947. At the stroke of midnight,
on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation.
This was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous
speech titled Tryst with destiny.
“ At the stroke of the midnight hour, when
the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.
A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history,
when we step out from the old to the new, when an
age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed,
finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill
fortune, and India discovers herself again."
Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January
1948) was a major political and spiritual leader
of India and the Indian independence movement. He
was the pioneer of Satyagraha—resistance to
tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly
founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence—which
led India to independence and inspired movements
for civil rights and freedom across the world. He
is commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi
(mahatma or "Great Soul", an honorific
first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore) and
in India also as Bapu (bapu or "Father").
He is officially honoured in India as the Father
of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated
there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and
world-wide as the International Day of Non-Violence.
The
Republic Day of India is a national holiday of India
to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India
and the transition of India from a British Dominion
to a republic on January 26, 1950. It is one of
the three national holidays in India.
India's
Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate
its independence from the British rule and its birth
as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day
is a national holiday in India. It is celebrated
all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony.
The main celebration takes place in New Delhi, where
the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the
Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech
from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights
the achievements of his government during the past
year, raises important issues and gives a call for
further development. The Prime Minister also pays
his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle.
September
5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years)
in the Gregorian calendar. There are 117 days remaining
until the end of the year.
Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January
1948) was a major political and spiritual leader
of India and the Indian independence movement. He
was the pioneer of Satyagraha—resistance to
tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly
founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence—which
led India to independence and inspired movements
for civil rights and freedom across the world. He
is commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi
(mahatma or "Great Soul", an honorific
first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore) and
in India also as Bapu (bapu or "Father").
He is officially honoured in India as the Father
of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated
there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and
world-wide as the International Day of Non-Violence.
November
14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years)
in the Gregorian calendar. There are 47 days remaining
until the end of the year.
