 "History Today: How India became a Republic on January 26, 1950")
What is January 26 best known for? In India, it is the day that the Republic of India was born. It’s also the day when the deadly Bhuj earthquake struck in the state of Gujarat, killing more than 2,000 people.
Elsewhere, January 26 is also known to be the day that American basketball player Kobe Bryant —who was considered one of the sport’s greatest players — died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41.
Discover what happened on January 26 with Firstpost Explainers’ History Today series that deep dives into major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
India becomes a republic in 1950
Though India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, it declared itself a sovereign, democratic and republic state with the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950.
However, the genesis of India’s republic was born earlier — in 1930 when Congress party declared ‘Poorna Swaraj’, rejecting the dominion status proposed by the British regime. It was after this that a Drafting Committee was put in place under the leadership of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who was tasked with writing India’s constitution.
This committee worked vigorously and its final version was ratified by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. It was then decided that January 26 would be the ideal date to promulgate India’s new constitution, as a nod to the Congress leaders who had called for ‘Poorna Swaraj’.
Today, India’s Constitution is known to be the world’s longest; it consists of 145,000 words. In comparison, the United States’ Constitution is just 4,400 words long.
When the Indian Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950, it contained 395 articles in 22 parts and eight schedules. Since then, the number of articles has risen to 448 due to over 100 amendments.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMany constitutional experts say that while many of the concepts and ideas in the document are borrowed from all over the world, ancient Indian texts also serve as an inspiration. For example, For instance, rule of law is not an imported doctrine and has been prevalent in Indian society during early Vedic period. Elaborate references of it can be found in scriptures such as Veda, Upanishad, sage Yajnavalkya’s Smriti, Manusmriti, Mahabharata (Vyas Maharshi), Ramayana and Kautilya’s Arthashastra.
Since 1950, India has marked January 26 as its Republic Day and holds a massive parade in the capital, New Delhi. The parade includes cultural, historical, and military displays.
The festivities officially come to a close on January 29 with the Beating Retreat Ceremony in New Delhi, where bands from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force perform.
Earthquake rattles Gujarat’s Bhuj
On January 26, 2001, as the country was marking its Republic Day, a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Bhuj in Gujarat, transforming large swathes of land into piles of rubble.
At 8.46 am, a strong quake struck occurred in Gujarat, with its epicentre being located to Bhuj district. The tremors flattened cities, including the district capital, Bhuj, and wrecking over 8,000 villages. Twenty thousand people were killed and more than a million others made homeless.
As the Bhuj Area Development Authority said on its website, “All the civic facilities like – schools, hospitals, health centres and public buildings – suffered massive destruction. The utility infrastructures, which included water supply, electricity and telecommunications, were also completely disrupted.”
Those who witnessed the devastation said it was unprecedented.
The Indian government was spurred into action; it sent the army in to help with the emergency and a whopping $2 billion was allocated to reconstruct the region. However, after collective efforts, nearly all the damaged villages were rebuilt.
But Bhuj continues to remain in people’s memories as one of India’s worst earthquakes.
Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash
On January 26, 2020, a helicopter carrying former pro basketball player Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others crashed in Calabasas, California, killing every one on board. Bryant’s death sent shockwaves through the sporting world across the globe.
It all started out with the basketball player and his daughter heading to her basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy in California. Minutes into the flight, the helicopter crashed into the hillside due to foggy conditions.
The accident shocked basketball fans and athletes from across the country and around the world. Countless tributes were held to honour Bryant, his daughter and the others killed in the crash.
This Day, That Year
>> On January 26, 1887, construction began on the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
>> In 1905, on this very day, the world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan Diamond — weighing 3,106.75 carats and estimated at $2 billion — was unearthed in South Africa.
>> In 1988, famed English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, based on Gaston Leroux’s novel, premiered on Broadway and went on to become the longest-running show in the history of Broadway.
>> In 2009, Nadya Suleman gave birth to the world’s first surviving octuplet babies.
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