Republic Day of India

Swami Brahma Swarupananda

A REPUBLIC is “a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.” The significant concept to the word republic is that the leader of the country is not a hereditary monarch but an elected or installed president.

India’s Republic Day is a national holiday that celebrates the implementation of its constitution on January 26, 1950. The governing principle of the Indian Constitution is “of the people, for the people and by the people.” India is also the world’s largest democracy with approximately 912 million people presently eligible to vote.

The Constitution of India

The Constitution of India (Bhāratīya Saṃvidhāna), drafted by Dr BR Ambedkar, is the longest written constitution of any country in the world. It is India’s supreme law, defining a fundamental political code and structure, procedures, powers and duties of government institutions,as well as the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. It assures its citizens justice, equality and liberty, and promotes fraternity.

The original handwritten 1950 constitution is preserved in a helium-filled case at Parliament House in New Delhi. Each page was decorated by artists including Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Nandalal Bose. Its calligrapher was Prem Behari Narain Raizada. The original also contains pictures of Sri Raam, Sri Krishna and Lord Buddha in its opening pages.

India’s Growth

Economical giant:

According to the National Statistical Office, 90 million people in India were alleviated out of extreme poverty since 1990. India’s nominal growth, which includes inflation, is projected to be at 15.4 per cent for 2022/23, due mainly to improved performances in the farming, mining and manufacturing sectors of the country. Since the beginning of the 21st century, annual average GDP growth has been six-seven per cent and from 2013 to 2018, India was the world’s fastest growing major economy, surpassing even China.

Educational field:

Presently India has over 1,000 universities including 54 central universities, 416 state universities, 125 “deemed” universities, 361 private universities and 159 Institutes of National Importance: AIIMS, IIMs, IIITs, IISERs, IITs and NITs. The Indian schooling system, one of the largest in the world, caters to over 250 million students.

India participates in the worldwide information technology revolution by producing many well-educated computer science and other graduates. India’s higher education system, with 770,000 students, is the third largest in the world, after China and the US.

Indian Armed Forces:

The Indian Armed Forces comprises three professional uniformed services: Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The President of India serves as the formal supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces. Currently, active armed personnel are 1,455,550 and reserved personnel are 1,155,000. They all fall under the Ministry of Defence and is the world’s second largest military force and largest volunteer army.

The Republic of India has the third largest defence budget worldwide. The army participates in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in accordance with India’s commitment to the United Nations Charter.

Scientific advancement in space:

Modern India has a strong focus on science and technology. India is among the topmost countries in the world in the field of scientific research, and one of the top five nations in space exploration. It is noteworthy that 36 per cent of NASA scientists are of Indian ethnicity.

India has regularly undertaken space missions, including missions to the moon and the famed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Mangalyaan, Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan are some of India’s major space missions.

Prof Vikram Sarabhai, Homi Bhabha and Dr Abdul Kalam (former president of India) have all played crucial roles in India’s scientific and technological progress.

Contribution to medicine and health:

India’s contribution to medicine and healthcare is quite noteworthy. Almost 60,000 Indian physicians practise in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. In context of the current global pandemic, American Physicians of Indian-Origin (AAPI) president, Dr Suresh Reddy, applauded hundreds of thousands of Indian-origin medical personnel who are bravely fighting against covid19, stating that “every seventh doctor in the US is an Indian and they are at the frontlines, working as soldiers and fighting the virus.”

India donated covid19 vaccines to over 116 countries globally. India also leads the world in Ayurveda medicine and practices.

Socio-cultural development:

Indian society offers a wide diversity in linguistics, ethnicity, class, economics and religion. Indian culture is unique and variant, and includes intellectual, aesthetic, impulsive, spiritual and social aspects of all human beings. Socio-cultural development in India depends on spirituality and philosophy incorporating many changes and transformations occurring from village to urban life with the message of
vasudhaiva kutumbakam (whole world is one family) and
sarve bhavantu sukhinah (let all be happy).

Honour

On Republic Day, the president of India witnesses the national parade, hoists the national flag and honours the brave citizens of India and its diaspora through various awards including: Param Veer Chakra, Veer Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and the Children’s National Bravery Award.

In this connection, this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) was bestowed to TT High Court judge Frank Seepersad. The president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali and the president of Suriname, Chan Santokhi, also attended and were honoured at this year’s PBSA.

The PBSA is conferred by the president of India as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention to recognise outstanding achievements in India or abroad by non-residents or overseas residents. Former recipients of the award from TT include Winston Dookeran, Lenny Saith, former prime ministers Basdeo Panday and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and the National Council for Indian Culture.

Conclusion

During Amrit Mahotsav, India is rapidly accelerating and transforming in all directions. She is a unique country, providing a beacon to the entire world to develop a happy and prosperous planet. India continues to shatter the glass ceiling with its most recent appointment of Droupadi Murmu, an Indian politician who is serving as the 15th president since July 25, 2022. She is the first person belonging to the tribal community, the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the office, the youngest person to occupy the post and the first president born in independent India.

During the celebrations of Republic Day of India at Brahma Vidya Peetham International, its general secretary, Sadhvi Anandamaiyee Giri, who is also the first female sanyasin of TT, stated, “The entire world, following in the footsteps of India, would have hope for new light and new peace. India encourages us all to think of our great spiritual and cultural aspects of humanity.”

Happy Republic Day to India!

Swami Brahma Swarupananda is the founder of Brahma Vidya Peetham International