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The Republic Day marks the day when India's constitution came into force on January 26, 1950 declaring India a democratic Republic.

Men in crisp uniforms marching across Rajpath following strict military discipline is an awe-inspiring sight on Republic Day.

Military parades are a tradition that inspire patriotism across nations and, in that vein, the Republic Day parade has become an emblem of India's national pride.

The Republic Day commemmorates India's constitution coming into force on January 26, 1950, declaring India a democratic republic. The date is the anniversary of Purna Swaraj Day held on January 26, 1930.

Dr. Srinath Raghavan, noted historian and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, observed that a highlight of the republican tradition was an armed citizenry. That is the origin of some of these parades. “It is counter intuitive that India which came out of colonial rule and adopted an independent constitution would follow these parades.” Despite India having a nationalist movement which claimed that we won freedom through non-violence, even early-India ended up following the pattern, he said.

However, “I don’t see any way we end up doing away with it,” Dr. Raghavan added.

Sometimes the parade also serves as a platform to send a message of national unity. For instance, after the humiliating defeat in the 1962 war with China, for the RD parade of 1963 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru invited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the march-past.

“RSS was invited by the government due to the good work by the swayam sevaks. Our participation was covered in newspapers of the day,” Manmohan Vaidya, National Spokesperson of RSS, told The Hindu.

After Indian forces entered Dhaka and liberated Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, in December 1971, 4 Guards unit of the Army which spearheaded the Dhaka operations gave a military guard of honour to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh.

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