By Theckla Gunga – EM TV, Port Moresby
Indian Families in Port Moresby have joined their countrymen in celebrating India’s 66th Republic Day.
In a small gathering today, professional Indians working in various organisations in Port Moresby gathered at the High Commission and witnessed the unfurling of the Indian Flag.
Today marks over six decades of India’s transition into a constitution.
On this day every year, Indians in other parts of the world and those in India come together to celebrate India’s national sovereignty, and to remember the lives lost in their struggle for freedom from British control.
To signify the Indian Day today, Indian High Commissioner to PNG, Madhava Chandra, unfurled the India Flag to signal their National Day celebration.
It was then followed with the Indian National Anthem.
High Commissioner Chandra, when reading out the message from the US President, Barrack Obama, who was the Chief Guest at the Indian National Day Celebrations in India today, emphasised on raising the quality of life for Indians.
This is the second time the National Day was celebrated in the High Commission’s premises and attracted Indian Families living in Port Moresby.
Two Indian Catholic nuns serving with the Port Moresby Archdiocese also attended the event.
India’s Republic Day is commemorated annually on the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950. It is one of three national holidays in India; the other two being Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.
India’s Constitution, passed by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949, and was adopted with a democratic government system in 1950, January 26. The Constitution replaced the Government of India Act of 1935, as the governing document of India. This signified the completion of India’s transition towards independence.
26 January was selected for this purpose because it was this day in 1930 when the Declaration of Indian Independence (Purna Swaraj) was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress.
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