The foundation of India’s democracy is our Constitution. It is the longest written constitution in the world, and took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to create. It was finally completed on November 26, 1949. This often raises an interesting question: If our Constitution was drafted on 26th November, why did we wait till 26th January to implement it? To know the answer to this question, you need to know about an incident in the glorious history of the Indian freedom struggle. Let us know why our Constitution was implemented on 26 January.
Historic proposal of ‘Purna Swaraj’ (complete self-rule)
The story begins in 1929, 20 years before the Constitution was made. At that time, the session of the Indian National Congress was held in Lahore, which was presided over by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. At this session, the Congress for the first time gave up its demand for Dominion status (semi-independence) from the British and resolved to achieve ‘Purna Swaraj’ (complete self-rule).
First Independence Day: January 26, 1930
At the Lahore Conference, it was decided that January 26, 1930 would be celebrated as ‘Independence Day’ throughout the country. On that day, Indians hoisted the tricolor flag for the first time and took the oath of independence from British rule. From 1930 to 1947, 26 January was celebrated every year as the symbolic Independence Day of India.
Coordination of 15th August and 26th January
When India actually got independence in 1947, the date was 15 August. Therefore, this day is celebrated as Independence Day. However, the framers of the Constitution, especially Pandit Nehru and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had deep respect for the date of January 26, which had kept the flame of freedom burning in the hearts of Indians for two decades.
They did not want a historical date like 26th January to be lost in the pages of history. Therefore, it was decided that even though the Constitution was framed on November 26, 1949 (Constitution Day), it would be officially implemented on January 26, 1950, so that the day could be immortalized as ‘Republic Day’. Thus, the Constitution of India came into force on 26 January and our country became a republic. Since then, Republic Day is celebrated with great pomp every year on 26 January.
