Republic Day

India celebrates Republic Day on January 26 annually with a lot of pride and fervor. It is a day that is important to every Indian citizen. It marks the day when India became truly independent and embraced democracy. In other words, it celebrates the day on which our constitution came into effect. On 26 January 1950, almost 3 years post-independence, we became a sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic republic.It was therefore declared a National holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India ever since. It might seem like a question that curious pre-schoolers might ask but it is often asked why the date was specifically chosen for Republic Day to be celebrated. It is to be noted that January 26 had a great significance in India’s struggle for Swaraj or autonomy. The Congress Session at Lahore on December 29, 1929, had passed a resolution declaring Purna Swaraj or complete, absolute autonomy as India’s goal. It was also decided that the 26th of January should be observed all over India as Purna Swaraj Day. The complete Independence Day was celebrated on January 26th, 1930 for the first time. It continued to be observed until 1947. On achieving Independence, August 15 began to be celebrated as our Independence Day.