Republic Day

The Constitution of India came into force, and India declared itself a 'Republic' on January 26th, 1950, a date thereafter celebrated annually as Republic Day in India. The Constitution had been prepared by the Constituent Assembly which was set up upon India gaining its independence from the British in 1947. This, in fact, was a deliberate act: the 26th of January was initially India's; 'Independence Day', one of Mahatma Gandhi's many symbolic acts during India's Freedom Struggle against the British rule, and the adoption of the Constitution on this date was felt able to strengthen its initial meaning, one calling for Indians of all ages to declare their freedom from the British Raj.

In the capital Delhi, there were the usual military processions. Here at Tiruvannamalai, the best we managed was giving the kids the day off school!