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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Republic Day (India)

The Republic Day of India is a national holiday of India to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950. It is one of the three national holidays in India.

History

Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, the Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950. During the transition period from 1947 to 1950, King George VI was the head of country. C. Rajagopalachari served as the Governor-General of India during this period. Following January 26, 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as the president of India.

[edit] Celebrations

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force march past in all their finery an
d official decorations. The President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. Parades demonstrating the cultures of the various states and regions of India are also held and broadcast nationwide on television. The parade also includes vibrant displays and floats and traditionally ends with a flypast by Indian Air Force jets.
Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governor of the state is unwell, or is unav
ailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honor of unfurling the National Flag of India.

[edit] Chief Guest

India hosts another head of state as the chief guest o
n this day. The strategic importance of any nation as associated by India can be easily attributed from this list.

2009 President of India - Smt. Pratibha Patil
Year Guest N ame Country
1976 Prime Minister Jacque s Chirac France
1978 President Dr.Patrick Hil lery Ireland
1986 Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou Greece
1992 President Mário Soares Portugal
1995 President Nelson Mandela[1] South Africa
1996 President Dr. Fernando He nrique Cardoso Brazil
1997 Prime Minister Basdeo Panday Trinidad and Tobago
1998 President Jacques Chirac France
1999 King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev Nepal
2000 President Olusegun Obasanjo Nigeria
2001 President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Algeria
2002 President Cassam Uteem Mauritius
2003 President Mohammed Khatami Iran
2004 President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Brazil
2005 King Jigme Singye Wangchuk Bhutan
2006 King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Saudi Arabia
2007 President Vladimir Putin Russia
2008 President Nicolas Sarkozy France
2009 President Nursultan Nazarbayev Kazakhstan

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