Republic Day of India

Republic Day is very important day of the year for the people of India so we celebrate it annually on 26^th of January since 1950. Let your kids and children know about the history of celebrating Republic Day in India

In India 26th of January is celebrated as Republic Day every year because constitution of India came into force on this day. It is celebrated as the national festival of India which has been declared as national holiday. Gandhi Jayanti and Independence Day are two another national holidays. On 26th of January in 1950 our country became fully democratic republic after reinforcement of the Constitution of India in the Indian Parliament.

At this day a great Indian army parade takes place which generally starts from the Vijay Chowk and ends at India Gate. Indian army (Army, Navy and Air-force) salutes the President of India while parading on the Rajpath. The Indian army display the power of India through the parade and by demonstrating all the great inventions like tanks and big guns. After the army parade, every states of India show their Jhankis displaying their culture and tradition. After that, a tri colour (our honourable National Flag colors like saffron, green and white) flowers showering takes place in the sky by the aero planes.

Students celebrate this day in the schools and colleges by organizing great events like parade, Flag unfolding, singing National Anthem, read speech, play roles of freedom fighters, dance, singing, drama play, helping in social campaign, quiz competitions, essay writing, poster display, magic, comedy activities, etc. At this day every Indian should take an oath to make this country peaceful and developed country. At the end, every student gets sweet and savoury and goes back home happily.

Let us take this opportunity to educate our children on the significance of Republic Day and importance in respecting our National Heroes who sacrifice their life for our TOMORROW.

Few Other Countries Who Celebrates Republic day

On the glorious occasion of the Indian Republic Day we wanted to look at the other republic days around the world. Just like India, these five countries celebrate a Republic Day- a custom that is not typical to most countries.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

On March 23, 1940, the All-India Muslim League adopted a resolution calling for a Muslim 'homeland.’ On the same day, 16 years later in 1956, Pakistan also declared itself an Islamic Republic.

This is not a republic in the typical sense of the word as it a mix of a pure, Islamic caliphate with a more secular, liberal from of government. As such, Pakistanis celebrate this day with a national holiday and traditional celebrations.

Republic of Italy

After World War II the Italian population was called upon as a whole to decide what form of government should be given to the country since fascism had fallen. And after 85 years of oppressive monarchy, Italy became a republic.

June 2 has become a day of immense importance in Italy as it celebrates the birth of a whole new nation. They commemorate it with grand military parades and other stately celebrations.

Republic of Turkey

Ruled by the Ottomans for a long time, it was only on October 29, 1923 that the Turkish constitution was finally amended and the country became a republic. Events begin from the previous afternoon and schools, government offices, etc. remain closed for the day.

Fireworks light up the skies and the whole of Turkey and Northern Cyprus can be seen partaking in the annual festivities.

Republic of China (Taiwan)

Celebrated throughout the tiny island nation, government-organized activities, such as firework displays and concerts, October 10 is marked as the Republic of China’s National Day.

It represents the start of the Chinese Revolution (beginning with the Wuchang uprising) which brought about Taiwan's republic government. It is also referred to it as ‘Double Ten Day.’

The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

When Yugoslavia fell apart, a territorial battle ensued as the Serbs in Bosnia wanted to remain with Serbia and Montenegro while the Croats and Bosniaks wanted to create their own independent state. Thus, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formed and it is now referred to as Republika Srpska.

It is a separate republic, which commemorates the anniversary of its creation as its Republic Day--on January 9. 

-      -Jyoti Singh & Shalini Suresh

O Womania - Celebrating the womanhood, once again

I recently came across a newspaper commercial that said: “While women direct all their angst towards men for putting labels on them, do they realize that they themselves tend to be judgemental of other women and their life choices?”

Take a minute and think. Shouldn’t there be a sisterhood of support and understanding? Isn’t it great to come across a woman who understands the challenges of other women? Wouldn’t you like to be that “understanding women” for someone?’

I am sure many women do think about this ‘women equality’ at some point. They may read inspiring stories of how women are reaching the pinnacle of heights in various fields today. But what happens next? Just like a bubble, it bursts or we sit over it and just forget all about it as we become intertwined in our day-to-day mundane tasks.

India has been a land of many a great men and women. “Sita” from Valimiki’s Ramayana, has become an inspirational character in today’s India. Every father wants to see a “Sita” in his daughter and every husband wants to see “Sita” in his wife. I have a question as to why did “Draupadi” from the great Mahabharata did not become a role model like “Sita”? Maybe a better question could be, should Draupadi be the role model for the modern woman?

The point I am trying to emphasize here is that, women need to look up to someone who took a firm stand in tough times. This can then give women the courage to believe in themselves enough to say that sometimes, it is perfectly alright or justified to take a stand. Draupadi is one such woman who while doing all her rightful duties, is willing and bold enough to take a stand. Draupadi actually declared a war with the Kauravas long before it really happened in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Draupadi, in ancient times decided to take a stand against the injustice, not as a woman, but as a human being.

All the atrocities against the women do take place simply for the reason, the way we are shaping up today’s society. We tend to ignore and not understand the fact of life which is,

‘Today is the future I created yesterday.’

We have the future generations at our disposal; as mothers, as teachers. It is up to us how we want to shape them. What kind of thought processes we want to inculcate in them? The day we will depart with the thought; “it’s okay for a boy to do certain things while not following any norms of the so-called society, but not okay for a girl to even express herself boldly”, that day, we will be able to witness the true woman empowerment.

A few years ago I would have been tempted to write something along the lines of, why Indian women selectively are oppressed in many situations compared to their male counterparts. However, things are now changing for the better with intentional diversity awareness being created by both, the Government as well as the private sector. 

The good news is that the world is changing – for the better. More women are taking up bigger & more impactful roles. The most recent example is our Indian Air Force (IAF) to get their first batch of women fighter pilots. There are similar many more examples of where women are raising the bar and challenging themselves, may it be Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, managing director of Biocon or for that matter Hillary Clinton who is creating waves by aspiring to be the leader of the ‘most powerful’ nation of this planet.

We have the future generations at our disposal; as mothers and as teachers. It is up to us how we want to shape them. What kind of thought processes we want to inculcate in them? I would say, this is one of the best times and history is being written where for the first time ever with so much intentional efforts are being spent by so many to ensure women equality is given its due attention. It is up to us mothers & teachers now, to seize the opportunity and ride the wave.

- Ms. Rakhi Karnik & Ms. Asha Kiran