Long Live India!

26th January 2009 is the 60th anniversary of the Republic Day of India. It was on this day in 1950 that India was officially absolved of British rule and became re-public. With India's economic might growing day by day, the Indian Republic day is celebrated worldwide.



Let us take some time to revisit the Constitution of India and get in touch with the values and principles that it stands for!

On 26th January 1950, the Constitution of India became the law of the land. Containing 395 articles , 12 schedules and 94 amendments with a total of 1,17,369 words, it is the longest written constitution of any sovereign nation in the world.



The preamble does not contain laws enforceable in a court but, no law can be enacted or amended in a manner that violates the spirit of the preamble.

“
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
”

• The beginning words of the Preamble - "We, the people" - signifies that power is ultimately vested in the hands of the people of India.


• It also tells that the constitution is made by & made for the people of India and not given to them by any outside powers.


• The Preamble lays down the most important national goals which every citizen and the government must try to achieve - justice, liberty , equality and fraternity.
  
• India is internally and externally sovereign - externally free from the control of any foreign power and internally, it has a free government which is directly elected by the people and makes laws that govern the people.
  
• The word socialist implies social equality, and does not connote any economic or political ideology. Social equality in this context means the absence of discrimination on the grounds of caste, colour, creed, sex, religion, or language. Under social equality, everyone has equal status and opportunities.
  
• Being a Secular country, India does not have an official state religion. There is equality of all religions and religious tolerance. Every person has the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion they choose.

An online address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day of India by the Hon'ble President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil can be watched here. Although it is long (22 mins), I found the speech quite inspiring, especially the parts where she asks Indians to be responsible citizens and urges responsible corporate governance in light of the Satyam scam and the Global financial crisis. (PS: The English version of the speech starts after 22 mins or half way into the clip. I listened to the Hindi version.)

On this day the PM leads the nation in paying tribute to the martyrs at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. Let us spare a moment to remember the sacrifice of our soldiers thru this beautiful patriotic song. The pictures in the video tell the story on their own!

This is the 1st time that the Prime Minister on India will be absent from the Parade due to a heart bypass surgery. Defence Minister A.K. Antony will stand in for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this year.

The 60th Republic Day Celebrations will involve Flag Hosting Ceremony by Hon'ble President of India. It will be followed by Republic Day Parade from Rajpath at 09:25 AM IST. The parade is quite a spectacle to behold as it is not only a showcase to India's military prowess, but also displays its diverse cultural heritage. If you are a foreigner reading this blog, you should plan to see this parade. It will be a memorable experience. Here is what you can expect from the Republic Day parade.

It is a common practice for the people of India to hoist the National flag on this day, here are some rules to be followed while hoisting the Indian national flag.

• When the National Flag is raised the saffron color band should be at the top.


• No flag or emblem should be placed either above the National Flag or to its right.


• The National Flag or any imitation of it must not be used for purpose of trade, business, or profession.


• The National Flag should always be taken down in the evening at sunset.


• The flag should not touch the ground at any point of time - before, during and after hoisting it.
  

Let us all Indians take some time and pledge to uphold the Constitution of India in letter and spirit in our daily lives on our 60th Republic Day.


Long live India - Jai Hind!