New Delhi: As India celebrated its 77th Republic Day, the Path of Duty once again became the stage for the country’s most enduring national ritual. chairman Draupadi Murmu The national flag – the tricolor – was hoisted amid elaborate ceremonies in the presence of the country’s top leadership and chief guests, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. Their presence reflects India’s growing global engagement, even as attention is drawn to what officials have described as the “mother of all deals” between India and the EU.
The celebrations on Monday were as grand as ever – but this year it was even more intense. In the backdrop of Operation Sindoor launched in May 2025, India’s display of military might sent a clear and deliberate message.For the first time, the parade showcased the Army’s phased “Battle Array Format”, integrating ground forces with air elements. The demonstration featured a high mobility reconnaissance vehicle and India’s first indigenously developed armored light specialist vehicle.For the first time, a military contingent from the European Union took part in the parade. With military staff flags and the EU naval missions Atalanta and Aspides, it marked the EU’s first participation in a military parade outside Europe.
77th republic day
The ceremony witnessed an unusual glimpse of history and present – from the 150-year legacy of the national song Vande Mataram to the country’s developmental progress, military strength, cultural diversity and the participation of citizens from all walks of life.Yet, for all its scale and symbolism, the ceremony inevitably draws attention back to where it all began.The journey began on 26 January 1950, the day India formally became a republic. that morning, Rajendra PrasadThe country’s first President hoisted the tricolor during the ceremonial parade at the Irwin Stadium around Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate.
The parade route, and even the space it occupied, would evolve over the decades – reflecting the Republic itself.The ceremonial section has since shifted from Irwin Stadium to Rajpath, later named Kartavya Path, while, during the colonial period, the same route connecting India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan was known as Kingsway.The hoisting of the flag near India Gate along with a 31-gun salute was an announcement to the world of India’s new status as a republic. With the world’s longest written Constitution coming into force that day, the future of the country was laid out, a constitutional journey that now spans more than seven decades.
When the Republic was still an idea taking shape
January 26, 1950. At 10:18 a.m., a new chapter opened quietly but decisively in the long history of India.about two and a half years after independence Republic of India Was formally born. Inside the grand Durbar Hall of Government House, the former Viceroy’s House, today’s Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Constitution came into force, transforming the newly independent nation into a sovereign democratic republic.
Situated on the top of the Raisina Hills, this hall witnessed the moment that marked the final liberation of India from colonial rule.The last Governor-General, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, read the Proclamation declaring that India was no longer a Dominion. The country had taken steps towards complete independence.A few minutes later, Rajendra Prasad was sworn in as the first President of the Republic, assuming the country’s highest constitutional post.
10:18 am, January 26, 1950: The Republic is proclaimed
India’s oldest defense magazine, Fauji Akhbar, captured the drama of that morning with remarkable accuracy.The magazine reported in its February 4 issue titled Birth of a Republic, “In a most solemn ceremony held in the brilliantly lighted and high-domed Durbar Hall of Government House, at exactly 10:18 on the morning of Thursday, January 26, 1950, India was declared a Sovereign Democratic Republic.”
“Six minutes later, Rajendra Prasad took the oath of office as President,” it said.The announcement was followed by a 31-gun salute that echoed throughout the capital shortly after 10:30 a.m. – a sound that signaled the arrival of a new nation.
‘India, that is Bharat’: the words that sealed this moment
Reading the Constitution, Rajagopalachari used Article 1 to formally declare the Republic of “India, that is, India”. The Proclamation confirmed that the new nation would be a federation of states, bringing the former Governor’s Provinces, Indian States and Chief Commissioners’ Provinces under one constitutional umbrella.
With the proclamation complete, the retired Governor-General took a step forward and invited Rajendra Prasad to assume the presidency – a quiet but powerful transfer of constitutional leadership from colonial power.
first presidential address
Addressing a nation of about 320 million people, now more than 1.4 billion, Rajendra Prasad delivered his first speech as President, first in Hindi and then in English, reflecting the diversity of the country he now represents.Speaking about a nation stretching from Kashmir to Cape Comorin, from Kathiawar to Kamrup, he said, “Today, for the first time in our long and checkered history, we find this entire vast land… brought together under one Constitution and the jurisdiction of one Union.”
The Durbar Hall was filled with dignitaries: Prime Minister Jawaharlal NehruMembers of the Constituent Assembly, and leaders who led India through independence and republican rule.Just two days earlier, Prasad had declared Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem and Vande Mataram as the national song, giving formal shape to the symbols of the new republic.
Soon after, the Constituent Assembly was adjourned sine die – its work completed – and was subsequently transformed into the Parliament of India.
The day the republic took to the streets
While history was being written in the corridors of power, the celebration belonged to the people.About 15,000 citizens gathered at the Irwin Amphitheater – today’s Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium – to watch the first Republic Day parade. Built in 1933 and gifted by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, the place, already steeped in royal history, has now been renovated for a republican future.President Sukarno of Indonesia, a close friend of India and future co-founder of the Non-Aligned Movement, was the chief guest.
(file photo)
Iconic scenes unfold across Delhi: soldiers marching with the Old Fort in the background; President Rajendra Prasad ceremoniously roamed the capital in a carriage without any security cover; Crowds gathered on rooftops, trees and balconies and welcomed him by shouting “Jai”.As the procession moved through Vijay Chowk, Prasad folded his hands in greeting and responded warmly to the cheers.The Fauji newspaper recorded, “The drive ended exactly at 3:45 pm at the Irwin Amphitheater, where 3,000 officers and men of India’s three armed services and police, accompanied by massed bands, took up position for the ceremonial parade.”Inherited from the British Raj, the parade was transformed from a display of royal power to a celebration of national unity, discipline and strength.
Why 26th January?
The choice of date was no coincidence.For many years before independence, 26 January was celebrated as Purna Swaraj Day. At the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress in December 1929, under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the demand for complete independence was formally declared.On January 26, 1930, Indians throughout the country were urged to celebrate the day as Independence Day – a symbolic rejection of the status of British dominance after negotiations failed.That legacy made January 26 the natural date for the Constitution to come into force two decades later.
Irwin Stadium to Duty Path
Since 1950, Republic Day has become one of India’s most important national observances – an annual affirmation of constitutional values.In 1955 the parade moved to Rajpath, now Duty Path. It included display of military capability, cultural tableaux of states and union territories and conferment of Padma awards.
26 January 1950
Global leaders – from Cold War allies to modern strategic partners – have participated as chief guests. In recent decades, the list has included Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, and the leaders of Japan, France, and now the European Union.Yet at its core, Republic Day is based on that winter morning in 1950 – when India formally decided to rule itself through the rule of law, democracy and the will of its people.The view may change with time. The setting name can be changed. But the promise of that first Republic Day remains.
