India became a republic on January 26th, 1950. As a reminder to myself (I often tend to feel helpless about my lack of awareness/engagement with issues back home), here is Wikipedia on Republic:

A republic is a form of government in which the head of state is not a monarch and the people (or at least a part of its people) have an impact on its government. The word ‘republic’ is derived from the Latin phrase res publica, which can be translated as “a public affair”

Me and my friends grew up with (very fond memories of) a particular video created by Doordarshan called “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”:

Apparently there is a new version out now:

I for one find the old one still more charming. The new ones are a bit too long and they have way too many actors/actresses with voiceover by playback singers — I’d much rather see the playback singers themselves, as it is the Bollywood stars get way too much attention.

Happy Republic Day!