India celebrates Republic Day today
India became an independent nation on August 15, 1947, but formally became a sovereign, democratic republic with the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950. This date marked the historic birth of the Republic of India and was later proclaimed a national holiday known as Republic Day, Qazinform News Agency reports.
On January 26, 1950, a 21-gun salute and the unfurling of the Indian National Flag by Rajendra Prasad symbolized the transfer of authority from colonial rule to constitutional governance. On the same day, Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as the first President of India, embodying the new republic’s commitment to democratic institutions.
The adoption of the Constitution fundamentally reshaped the country. It granted citizens the right to choose their own government through universal suffrage and laid the legal foundation for democracy, equality before the law and protection of fundamental rights. The chief architect of this constitutional framework was B. R. Ambedkar, who chaired the Drafting Committee and ensured that social justice, civil liberties and safeguards against discrimination were embedded in the supreme law of the land.
The political direction of the newly formed republic was largely shaped by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister. Leading the country from independence in 1947, Nehru championed parliamentary democracy, secular governance and an independent foreign policy, positioning India as a modern state rooted in democratic values after the Constitution came into force in 1950.
Equally crucial to the survival of the republic was Vallabhbhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister and minister of home affairs. Between 1947 and 1949, Patel oversaw the political integration of more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union, securing the territorial unity without which the republic could not have functioned as a stable state.
Although he did not live to see the proclamation of the republic, Mahatma Gandhi played a foundational role in shaping the moral and political principles of the new nation. Through decades of nonviolent resistance, mass mobilization and advocacy of equality and human dignity, Gandhi transformed the struggle for independence into a nationwide movement and deeply influenced the democratic ethos reflected in the Constitution.
India is one of the world’s oldest civilizations, distinguished by extraordinary cultural diversity and a rich historical heritage. Since independence, the country has achieved broad socio-economic progress. As the seventh largest country in the world, India occupies a distinct geographical position in Asia. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southward to the Indian Ocean, lying between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west.
Together, the Constitution, the leadership of key figures and the country’s vast geographical and cultural foundation shaped the emergence of the Republic of India on January 26, 1950, a moment that continues to define the nation’s democratic identity.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency shared that India had celebrated the 77th Republic Day with grand reception in Astana.
Qazinform also reported that a group of journalists from Central Asia and the South Caucasus took part in a two-week press tour to India organized by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, exploring the country’s rich history, cultural diversity and growing space and technology ambitions.