26th of January is one of the important days for India and its people.
In the year 1947 India gained its independence and became free from the British rule but at that time it did not have any proper constitution. The laws of the country were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On 29th August 1947 with Dr Ambedkar a Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution. On 4th November 1947 a Draft Constitution was prepared and submitted to the Assembly. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document, one in Hindi and one in English, on 24th January 1950. The Constitution of India came into effect only on 26th January 1950. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of India. This was a deliberate act to mark and respect the freedom fighters who wanted 26 January as India's initial independence day. Thus on this very day India became a republic country. The 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India.
All the states of India celebrate the Republic Day but the largest celebration takes place at the capital city of the country New Delhi. The celebration starts with the solemn remembrance of the of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defence of sovereignty of the country. The President awards the the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations with medals of bravery. The President of India at New Delhi, salutes the contingents of Armed Forces. In all the other States the Governors do the salutation and in Taluqas and administrative headquarters the same procedure is adopted. At Vijay Chowk in New Delhi, three days later, i.e. 29th January, the massed bands of the Armed Forces "Beat the Retreat" in a majestic manner.
The grand parade which is the most important feature of the Repiblic Day celebration takes place every year in a huge manner, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (where the President of the country resides), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort.
India hosts the head of any other country as the chief guest on this day.
The main regiments of the Indian army are Infantry Regiments, Armoured Regiments, Units of the Regiments of Artillery and Engineering Regiment Groups. All the regiments march past in all their finery and official decorations, even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The creme of N.C.C cadets selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to look after every details, from their practice for the drills to the essential props and their uniforms.
Spectacular pageants from different states showcasing their culture and tradition follow the parades. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The whole programme is telecasted live on National Television, the Doordarshan, for the people to watch from every corner of the country.
Republic Day is celebrated all over the country, national capital, state capitals, municipal corporations, panchayats, and other official agencies. It is observed in colonies, schools, colleges and institutions of every kind. The day is marked as a holiday, offices and other institutions remain closed only the celebrations take place.