India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26. But after becoming an independent nation in 1947, how many ‘Republic’ days, India celebrated and which one it will be celebrating in 2025 — 77th, 76th or 75th?
The answer is, we will be celebrating the 76th Republic Day in 2025.
To understand this, you need to know about India’s independence and when it was declared a ‘Republic’. Here is a brief account.
India gained independence from the Britishers on August 15, 1947, after many generations of resistance and large-scale independence movements. After the independence, the country needed a Constitution of its own to set rules to determine how it was to be governed.
Hence, the Constituent Assembly under the chairmanship of Dr BR Ambedkar drafted the Constitution for two years i.e, from 1946 to 1949, which was adopted on November 26, 1949. However, the Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950.
Many believe that India was declared a Republic in 1949, but it is not so. It officially became a Republic on January 26, 1950.
Therefore, if you count from 1950, when the country celebrated its first Republic Day, you will reach the number correctly for 2025, i.e, 76th year.
Republic Day is celebrated to commemorate the Constitution of India and the country’s transition to a republic nation.