Republic Day 2026: India is celebrating its 77th Republic Day on January 26 to honour the adoption of the constitution on January 26, 1950. President Droupadi Murmu will unfurl the national flag at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi and will preside over the grand parade. This year's parade is themed around 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram, displaying India's cultural and military might. The celebrations will be held in the presence of the chief guests, President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. While India has witnessed significant development on all the major fronts in the past decades, the first Republic Day was celebrated at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in the presence of 15,000 people.
First Republic Day Celebration
Dr Rajendra Prasad took the oath as the first president of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan (then Government House) on January 26. As per the renowned historian Ramchandra Guha, the country was still recovering from the devastation of partition at that time. India was dealing with the problems of refugees, riots, and extreme poverty. Guha, in his book India After Gandhi, states that Dr Prasad unfurled the national flag in New Delhi and celebrations were held across the city.
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Parade At Dhyanchand Stadium
The first Republic Day celebrations were held at the Irwin Amphitheatre (now Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium). The country witnessed the strength of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force together for the first time, and over 3,000 soldiers marched during the parade. The parade included personnel from all three branches of the armed forces, as well as police and paramilitary forces.
As per Guha, nearly 15,000 people were present in the stadium to witness the grand celebrations. Vintage Liberator planes of the Indian Air Force, which had been used in the freedom struggle, caught the attention of everyone during the parade.