Many of us always need clarification on Republic day and Independence day as they have different meanings and reasons for celebration. Both of these days are celebrated as a festival of pride by the people of India. They have very valuable importance in Indian history and are celebrated every year by every citizen of this country as an honor to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the betterment of our nation by making Indian free from the control of British government rule.

Both of the days are declared as public days, and because of that, people can take out their time to celebrate this festival of the country by showing their patriotism and respect for the Flag of India. Usually, these celebrations include dance, flag marches, singing, and, most importantly, hoisting the National Flag in several parts of the country.

As we discussed before, most people think these days are interchangeable and stand for the same meaning, but it is incorrect as they both have their significance.

Here you will learn what Independence and Republic days are and their key differences.

Independence Day

Understanding the meaning of independence day is not too difficult as we can identify it through its name, In 1947 after the Independence of India from the 200-year-long British rule India got its freedom on 15 August, which was declared independence day of India. Every year Indian citizen feels proud by celebrating the freedom and sacrifice given by our various freedom fighter like Mahatama Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Sekhar Azad, and many more who fought for this nation’s Independence against the British Empire.

Just after the declaration of India’s Independence, it was announced as the biggest democracy in the world by passing an Indian independence act in the British parliament and fully transferring the legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly.

Jawaharlal Nehru was announced as the first prime minister of independent India just a night before 15 August. In his speech, Jawaharlal Nehru said, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”

How do we celebrate this special day?

Talking about the celebration of this day at the national level every year on 15 August, the prime minister of India attends the celebration program at Red fort of India. This event is followed by a Military Parade to show the strength of the Indian army including various events like dance, drama, and singing to showcase the different cultures of all the states and union territories of this country. Also, at the beginning of this event, on Red fort, the Indian Flag is hoisted by the Indian prime minister along with the national anthem.

History of Independence Day

India began its struggle for Independence after the revolt of 1857, which is considered the first fight for Independence. Sepoy Mutiny started this revolt in Meerut under the leadership of Mangal Pandey. Later this revolt turned into a voice of the nation for its Independence and got momentum after the end of the second world war.

In the 20th century, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, The Indian National Congress organized various movements of inference in several parts of the country against these British government rules.

The biggest fire of Independence occurred during the second world war in 1942 when Gandhiji announced the Quit India movement against the British government. However, the British government detained many freedom fighters and leaders, putting them in jail and under house arrest.

Just before Independence in 1947, India was divided into two parts under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru; during this process, over 15 million people died due to the riots due to religious differences.

What is the Symbol of Independence Day?

A kite flying in the sky is considered the symbol of independence. On this day, people fly kites of several sizes, shapes, and colors, most commonly with the tricolors of the Indian Flag. Red fort was considered an important place in India’s independence history because the Indian Flag was unveiled for the first time at the red fort in 1947. Also, every year flag hoist ceremony at the red fort is done by the prime minister of India and attended by the president too.

The Flag of India is considered the biggest symbol of Independence; it is horizontal in shape and tricolor with saffron, white and green colors with significant meanings. Also, there is a navy blue chakra in the middle of the Flag named Ashok Chakra.

Republic Day

Republic day is another important chapter of Indian history as it plays a very important role in the formation of this nation; it is celebrated on 26 January. Similar to Independence Day. Republic Day is a national festival celebrated with military parades, patriotic dance and singing, poems, and flag hosting. On this day, The Prime Minister of India attends a flag-hosting ceremony from Janpath, New Delhi. Also, this event is attended by the leaders of several countries who the Indian government invites to participate in this celebration of democracy and Unity. The Year 2023 will be Marked as the 74th Republic Day of India.

Significance of Republic Day

Just after the three years of Independence from the British government under the leadership of Dr. BR Ambedkar, a committee of over 100 members was formed, which helped him form the Indian constitution. It is an aggregation of various constitutions of democratic counties like the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and many others.

The constitution drafted by this committee was taken into action for the first time on 26 January 1950. The key reason behind announcing India’s constitution on this day was the Indian national congress, which proclaimed the idea of Purna Swaraj on the same day on 26 January 1930.

Celebration of Republic Day

Republic Day is also a day of pride. It is celebrated all over the country. It was declared a national holiday in 1950. The reason behind celebrating is to give honor to the constitution of India. Hosting the National Flag in colleges and school is very common. They also celebrate Republic Day by awarding others and performing cultural events by students.

In the morning, most people love to watch the flag hoist ceremony done at the Indian gate by the President of India. Also, on this day, various patriotic movies based on India’s Independence and constitution are telecasted on Television.

The military heads who have won the gallantry award join these army parades by standing in their jeeps and with a posture of salute towards the Flag and President. Also, there is a special segment done by the Indian Airforce where they act as tribute through aircraft. Also, there is a national-level parade organized on Rajpath, New Delhi, by the ministry of defense and is attended by several national leaders and the President of the country.

Also, a special event is organized at India Gate to give tribute and pray to the martyrs who lost their lives for the nation. Also, the prime minister gives a wreath Amar Jawan Jyoti to showcase the respect on behalf of the whole nation to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for this country. A 21- gun salute follows this ceremony.

Also, it is looked up as an event to decorate brave soldiers with Paramvir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, and Vir Chakra. Along with them, various people who showed their courage indirectly and contributed towards nation-building are also awarded. This kind of similar event is celebrated in various parts of the country.

Motto of Republic day Celebration

The main motto behind celebrating republic day is to showcase the spirit of independent India, also done to showcase the military strength of the Indian army through their equipment exhibition and coordination.

Difference between Independence Day and Republic Day

1. Basis of Celebration

On both Independence and Republic Day, the ceremony of flag hosting is done, but the meaning and motto behind it are different; the hosting of the Flag on 15 August is done as Independence Day, which signifies the freedom of India that we earned from the British after 200 years by continues revolt which includes sacrifice and struggle of our freedom fighters.

However, in the case of Republic day, it is a celebration of democracy, which India fully adopted in 1950 after the establishment of the Indian constitution. The formation of the constitution is a short journey in comparison to independence day but the rigidity in its process of the building makes us feel proud of our constitution.

2. Positioning of Flag

The positioning of the flag in hosting is a key difference. We can easily identify the difference between unfurling and hoisting the National Flag, as in the case of Independence Day, we all know the flag is tied at the bottom of the pole and the flag is hoisted by the prime minister on Red fort India. Whereas on republic day, the flag is closed and tied at the top of the pole, and the President unfurls the Flag just by pulling the Knot.

3. Time and Process of Celebration

India celebrated its first independence day on 15 August 1947; this took place after the complete downfall of the British government in India, the celebration of Independence Day is much awaited because it took place after a struggle of over 200 years in which millions of people sacrifice their life.

Republic Day was celebrated for the first time on 26 January 1950. It is related to the process of adopting the Indian Constitution which was not so long but was a step toward establishing India as the biggest democracy in the world. Also, the Indian Constitution is an example of knowledge and understanding.

4. President Unfurls, and the Prime Minister Hoists

The flag ceremony on Independence Day is considered Flag hoisting, but in the case of Republic day, it is considered a flag unfurling. The reason for hoisting by the prime minister is that after the Independence, there was no president of India, and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was designated to hoist the flag since then it is going like this.

However, in the case of Republic Day, India was completely settled as a democratic country and India has a president. Therefore, the president became the designated person to unfurl the flag on republic day and this action was named unfurling of Flag.