Balloons released during the 2021 Republic Day parade in New Delhi (© T. Narayan/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Republic Day, observed on 26 January, marks the moment India formally became a republic in 1950. Independence had come three years earlier, but this date signalled a clear shift into a new national phase. It established how the country would govern itself and how public life would be organised in the future. Over time, this day has become a fixed point in India's calendar, balancing historical memory with present-day observance.