The nation proudly celebrated its 74th anniversary of India becoming a Republic. The world's largest democracy commemorated the adoption of the Indian Constitution, which went into effect on 26th day January in 1950.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and citizens must follow it and so should the government of the day.
India did not have its own constitution after it gained independence. The laws were based on a common law system and a modified version of the “Government of India Act, 1935,” enacted by the British government.
After passing of the historic resolution of “Purna Swaraj,” or complete self-rule, at Lahore, the then leaders of India declared that the Indians would celebrate “Independence Day” on January 26, 1930.
Thus, when India's Constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949, many felt it was necessary to celebrate and enforce the document on January 26, a day associated with national pride.
Republic Day is a watershed moment in Indian history because it was on this day that India adopted its own Constitution and established its own laws.
The British colonial Government of India Act (1935) was finally repealed, and the country was on its way to a new beginning.
On this day, India shed the last vestige of the colonial system and ushered in a new era as a Sovereign Democratic Republic.
The day is an opportunity to remember and reaffirm our commitment to liberty, fraternity, and equality throughout our society and among all of our citizens.
The day honours the desire of a vast nation to be governed by a single constitution, providing yet another example of India's unity in diversity.
Although India has established itself as one of the world's fastest growing economies, it lags far behind in terms of growth in many areas and still failed in infusing a sense of equality, democracy and prosperity in real terms.
Poverty remains today's most pressing issue. The majority of people in India continue to live below the poverty line, with a wide disparity between the rich and the poor.
Gender discrimination persists at all levels, with a skewed female ratio, few economic opportunities, wage disparities, violence, malnutrition, and so on.
All successive governments since independence could not transform and uplift the Indian society above sectarian, communal and regional prejudices. It is a slap in the face to India's nationalist identity and a tragic setback to the country's evolving true secular culture as the word and its spirit has been distorted in the last over seven decades.
Indian democracy also faces challenges from regionalism, which is primarily caused by regional disparities and imbalances in development.
Inequality, both within and between states, perpetuates a sense of neglect, deprivation, and discrimination.
VVIP culture has swallowed the self-esteem of the Indian people till date. Money and muscle abuse by politicians and political parties have an impact on elections, which serve as the most visible expression of democracy.
Most politicians are facing criminal charges, and the source of election funding is still unknown.
Although, our Republic has come a long way, and we should be grateful for how far successive generations have brought us. We must also recognise that our journey is far from over.
In order to move from a literate society to a knowledge society, we must recalibrate our yardstick of achievement and success from quantity to quality.
