Souvenirs and sweets: The decentralised spirit of India’s first Republic Day

As the 77th Republic Day approaches, the National Capital is buzzing with rehearsals. The parade, a continuation of a British-era tradition, will begin at Raisina Hills, move along Kartavya Path, pass India Gate and conclude at the Red Fort. The event is intended to project military capability, foster patriotism, highlight diverse armed forces units and showcase gender diversity within the services.

For many, the Republic Day parade is the defining image of India’s democracy, but it wasn’t always this grand. Unlike today’s Republic Day parades at Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath), the 1950 event was relatively modest but carried immense symbolic weight.

It was attended by dignitaries, foreign representatives, and thousands of citizens eager to witness history in the making. The total expenditure was assessed at around Rs 11,250 and later itemised at Rs 11,093, according to archival records.

As per the archival records, the Delhi administration observed it through modest celebrations in relief homes and rural schools, with children receiving souvenir plates and women inmates given sweets and toys.

The files reveal that the celebrations were largely decentralised, with a focus on children, displaced families and women living in government-run institutions, reflecting the priorities of a city still recovering from the upheaval of Partition. The records mentioned that in Delhi’s rural areas, Republic Day celebrations were organised by the district board.

“Schoolchildren were given souvenir plates, while flags, poles and candles were supplied to institutions to mark the occasion,” it stated.

The total expenditure was assessed at around Rs 11,250 for these activities and later itemised at Rs 11,093. The spending was examined and formally sanctioned by the then chief commissioner under the Punjab District Boards Act, 1883, the archival record showed.

Women inmates living in relief homes were also included in the Republic Day observances.

Files from the office of the then Chief Commissioner of Delhi highlighted that the Provincial Women’s Section organised celebrations at Women’s Section Homes, where fruits, sweets and toys were distributed to inmates on January 26, 1950.

An amount of Rs 750 was sanctioned for this purpose, of which around Rs 525 was spent on the day, leaving an unspent balance of Rs 225, according to the record.

Subsequent correspondence dated March 1950 shows that permission was granted to use the remaining Rs 225 for Women’s Section Day celebrations later that year, it said.

The amount was spent on transporting inmates from different homes, hiring furniture and arranging refreshments for children. The expenditure was charged to the ‘relief and rehabilitation miscellaneous’ head, reflecting the administration’s welfare-oriented approach. The Women’s Section Homes mentioned in the files were part of a broader network of hostels and relief institutions set up in Delhi after Partition to rehabilitate displaced women and children. Archival material places the Provincial Women’s Section office at P Block, New Delhi.