Some milestones encourage remembrance, some signal momentum; the rare few reflect both. India’s 77th Republic Day is one such exception, marking as it does the continuation of India’s journey, now as a constitutional democracy and as a Republic. Since January 26, 1950, India has travelled a considerable distance, but it has also done so with increasing self-confidence and courage.
When the people of India gave to themselves their own Constitution, they did so with humility and ambition. Humility was occasioned by recognising the enormity of the task before that generation, of reuniting Indians of every creed and language, after centuries, into a coherent nation sharing the same dream, while dreaming in different idioms. And ambition came from the determination to become the first nation in modern history to seek its salvation in democracy, without waiting – as all others had until then – to achieve prosperity first. The Republic was never conceived as a finished product. But it was from the start, an exercise based on laws, rights, and shared values based on the dignity of all humanity. It was imagined as a living framework, capable of growth, correction, and renewal. Seventy-seven years on, that imagination has matured into experience. India today is no longer defined primarily by the constraints of its past, but by the confidence of its present.
This Republic Day carries added resonance as it coincides with 150 years of Vande Mataram. Written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the song predates both freedom and the Republic. And yet, it played a decisive role in awakening India’s national consciousness at a time when political sovereignty seemed distant.
Vande Mataram did not articulate a programme or a manifesto. What it offered was something more elemental, a sense of emotional unity. It named the motherland not merely as geography, but as shared inheritance. In doing so, it helped Indians imagine themselves as part of a collective destiny. That act of imagination was indispensable to the freedom movement, and it remains central to how the nation understands itself.
The enduring relevance of Vande Mataram lies in this capacity to inspire both love and responsibility. It evokes pride, but not complacency; belonging, but not exclusion. In today’s India, the song continues to remind us that national devotion is not passive, it demands effort, discipline, and purpose. In that sense, it speaks directly to contemporary aspirations of Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat, of self-confidence rooted in capability.
India’s journey as a Republic has increasingly defined its global presence. India has emerged as a consequential actor in international affairs, shaping conversations on climate action, digital public infrastructure, global health, and economic resilience. Its democratic scale, technological innovation, and economic growth command attention, and expectation.
This global role is not accidental. It is the cumulative outcome of focused institution-building, social investment, and political stability under constitutional governance. India’s voice abroad draws credibility from its ability to manage complexity at home. The Republic’s success, therefore, is not measured only in growth figures or diplomatic reach, but in the continued vitality of its democratic processes.
As India advances towards becoming a Viksit Bharat, the idea of self-reliance, i.e., Atmanirbhar Bharat, must be understood in the context of India’s preparedness to engage the world on equal terms. India’s civilizational strength has always flowed from its capacity to adapt without losing its core values. That balance will define the next phase of India’s rise.
At seventy-seven, India’s Republic is purposeful. As the tricolour rises on January 26, and Vande Mataram echoes, 150 years after its first stirring notes, the message is clear: India’s story is one of calm continuity and energetic change, memory and momentum. To celebrate the Republic is not only to honour what has been built, but to re-commit resolutely to the journey ahead.
