India’s First Republic Day | Republic Day 2022

Date

In the spirit of the 73RD REPUBLIC DAY OF INDIA, we bring you here some shorts from the celebration of the first republic day celebration from a long event history of the making of the world’s largest democratic country. The celebration of India becoming a republic with enforcement of its constitution on 26th January was the first planned and highly glorifying event of independent India. Badruddin Tyabji, a 1934 batch Indian Civil Service officer had been busy for several days in preparations for the first Republic Day celebrations. The weather was very pleasant in Delhi on that memorable day. The country was implementing its new constitution. There was no parade on that Republic Day. The process of the parade started in 1955. The Republic Day celebrations took place at the Irwin Stadium (now the National Stadium). Tyabji had to look after the management of the programs in the Darbar Hall in the morning and the National Stadium in the evening. The responsibility of both these events was entrusted to him by Prime Minister Pandit Nehru himself. Dr. Rajendra Prasad reached Rajghat at around eight in the morning. From there he went straight to Rashtrapati Bhavan sitting in a horse carriage to take oath as the first President of the country. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was wearing a black achkan, a white churidar pyjama and a Gandhi cap. As soon as the President came to the stadium, he was given a 31-gun salute. The President made a brief speech. After the President’s speech, students of some schools of the capital presented cultural programs for some time. When the program was going on at the Irwin Stadium, at that time only a number of policemen were present there. On that date, the effect of the first Republic Day was clearly visible in the major markets of the capital. The light was decorated at Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk, Kashmere Gate. Special prayers were held on that day at Hanuman Mandir and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Connaught Place for the all-around development of the country. Then the tasteful langar was also arranged.