India’s Republic Day and Economic Development

-- Abdullah Sabih, VII-D, Carmel School Kuwait

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

In this land of ours, enriched by diversity, with many festivals, our national festivals are celebrated by everyone with great patriotic fervour. We celebrate the national festival of the Republic Day with enthusiasm and express our respect for the national flag, and our faith in the Constitution.

The Indian Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950, which declared India's occurrence as an independent republic. The significance of January 26 is that on that day in 1929, the Indian National Congress made the well-known declaration of “Poorna Swaraj” or complete self-rule and Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the tricolour on the banks of the Ravi river. The date set for independence was January 26, 1930, and was celebrated as Poorna Swaraj day for the next 17 years.

Indian Republic Day is celebrated all across India with lots of patriotism and fervour. At Rajpath, in Delhi, magnificent parades by regiments of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, police, and paramilitary forces are witnessed. The parade marches from the Rashtrapati Bhawan along the Rajpath in New Delhi. Several regiments of the army, navy, and air force, along with their bands, march to India Gate. The parade is presided over by the President of India, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. As he unfurls the tricolour, the national anthem is played. The regiments of the Armed Forces then start their march past. Prestigious awards like Kirti Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Paramvir Chakra and Vir Chakra are given out by the President. Nine to twelve different regiments of the Indian Army, in addition to the Navy and Air Force march toward India Gate along with their bands. Contingents of paramilitary forces and other civil forces also participate in the parade. Tableau from various states display their culture. The celebration usually ends with numerous air shows and fly pasts by the Indian Forces.

The government in the 1950s adopted a very particular strategy of economic development: rapid industrialization by implementing centrally prepared five-year plans that involved raising a massive amount of resources and investing them in the creation of large industrial state-owned enterprises. India has been acclaimed in recent years as an Information Technology (IT) superpower and perhaps even as a major new player in the world economy. The Indian economy has been growing at around 5 or 6 % per annum since 2003. Over the course of the coast 50 years, India has developed a stable economy and has seen major growths.

Abdullah Sabih, VII-D, Carmel School Kuwait