Republic Day 2024 - History, Significance & Why Do We Celebrate It

Every year, India Republic Day is observed on January 26th in India. This year in 2024, the country will mark its 75th Republic Day on Friday. It is an important national holiday that commemorates the establishment & adoption of the Constitution of India.

People across India celebrate the day with utmost zeal & patriotism. A range of cultural events & military parades are organised at Rajpath, New Delhi comprising Indian armed forces and national flag hoisting in several parts of the country. People wish each other a happy Republic Day and experience the essence of being Indian through these mesmerising parades & airshows by the Indian military.

Also Read: India Republic Day Speech

Republic Day History

Do you want to know why we celebrate Republic Day?

Republic Day is observed to celebrate the implementation of our Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950, that further replaced the Government of India Act imposed the date to our country.

India gained independence on August 15, 1947, but until then, India was deprived of any constitution of its own. Rather the laws were majorly based upon the Government of India Act 1935. Later on August 29, 1947, a resolution was passed to appoint the drafting committee, headed by Dr BR Ambedkar, as Chairman to form an independent constitution of our country.

It took around 2 years and 11 months to put together the guidelines under our Indian constitution. Finally, on January 26, 1950, our Indian constitution came into effect. January 26th was chosen as the date as in 1930, Purna Swaraj, the announcement of Indian Independence was signified by the Indian National Congress. So, the country celebrates Independence day, when India became free from British rule, while Republic Day marks the establishment of the Indian constitution. So, if you are asked, “When was the First Republic Day celebrated”? The answer is 26th January 1950.

How are India Republic Day Celebrations in India?

The historic day of Happy Republic Day is observed by the people of India with great enthusiasm & pride.

On this day, various flag hoisting events and parades are organised by the Indian armed forces. Outstanding cultural activities take place in several schools across the country, such as Parades, singing or dancing etc.

The most important military parade is held at Rajpath, New Delhi, showcasing a perfect combination of our country’s rich cultural heritage and military abilities. The Ministry of Defence administers the Delhi Republic Day Parade to pay tribute to the martyrs who lost their lives for the country and to honour bravery awards to military persons, citizens or individuals for their courageous acts for the country's sake.

A group of regiments of the Indian army marched past the President of India, honouring him with a salute. The parade starts by recognising the winners of gallantry awards, followed by displaying fighting tanks, missiles, and other military equipment. The Prime Minister of India shows a tribute to the personals of the Indian army who lost their lives for the country by laying a condolence garland at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, in their remembrance.

After this, several armed forces like Police or home guards with the National Cadet Corps displayed their enthusiasm by marching on Rajpath. The parade is then followed by multiple gun salutes, hoisting of the national flag and reciting the National anthem. Gallantry awards are granted to the winners. The event ended with adventurous bike riding and airshows by Indian Air Force.

India Republic Day 2024 Theme

This year, the theme of India Republic Day is centred around ‘Viksit Bharat' and 'Bharat – Loktantra ki Matruka,' emphasizing India's role as a nurturer of democracy. These themes underscore India's esteemed position as a democratic nation and highlight its journey towards development and progress.

Significance of Republic Day

Happy Republic Day commemorated the adoption of the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950. After gaining independence from British rule on August 15th, 1947, a drafting committee was established to design an independent constitution of the country under the supervision of Dr BR Ambedkar. The day marks the power of independent & individual India and the right of Indian citizens to elect their government democratically. The country observes the day as the National Holiday for adopting the Indian constitution.

26 January Republic Day - National Holiday

Happy Republic Day is a reserved holiday in India celebrated on 26 January every year to recognise the adoption of the Indian constitution. The constitution was assumed by the Indian Constituency Assembly on 26th November 1949 and was brought into force on 26 January 1950 with a democratic system. It is one of India's most important national holidays, including Independence Day and Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, celebrated on August 15 and October 2 every year.

Since it is a public holiday on 26 January every year across the country, all the local, state and national level government authorities shall remain closed on this day. All other commercial outlets and business organisations also remain closed or have reduced working hours.

Interesting Facts About the Constitution of India

Take a look at some of the interesting facts about the Indian Constitution you should know:

• The Constitution of India is the largest constitution in the world which includes 117,369 handwritten words.

• Each of the pages of the Indian Constitution is decorated by artists, and more than 2000 amendments were made to the draft.

• A total of 238 members of the drafting committee signed the constitution.

• The original copies of the constitution are carefully placed in the library of Parliament House, while the book has 1000 photolithographic reproductions.

• The Indian constitution doesn’t permit dual citizenship. 

• It took almost 4 years to write the constitution. 

• The fundamental rights written in our constitution have been adopted from the American constitution.

• The USSR inspired the concept of Five Year Plan