— Kamlesh Tripathi
The twenty-sixth of January dawns
A morning stitched with memory and resolve,
When time salutes the nation,
That chose law over power,
And conscience over crown.
In nineteen fifty,
The ink became destiny.
The Constitution awoke,
As a commemoration of independence,
With pages breathing justice, liberty,
Equality and fraternity.
And India rose… not merely free,
But self-governing,
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari,
From Arunachal to Kutch.
A republic by her own word.
The long shadow of the Raj fell away,
Chains melted into clauses,
Subjects transformed into citizens,
Power flowed downward.
Into the hands of many,
Where ballots replaced commands,
And democracy learned to speak,
In a hundred tongues.
The Republic Day reminds you of more,
The cry of Purna-Swaraj in nineteen thirty,
When freedom was first declared in spirit,
Long before it arrived in fact.
Hope marched ahead of history,
And history followed to cement the victory.
Along Kartavya Path—earlier Raj Path,
Boots strike the earth in measured pride,
The mighty Indian Army and para-forces march in style,
With tanks and guns galore,
The mighty Air-force’s fly past on the fore,
Where tableaux’s bloom with colour and culture,
The bands play melodious tunes,
And folk songs dance beside steel resolve.
The Tricolour rises,
The President salutes,
Where sacrifice is honoured,
In silence louder than drums.
Across the land,
Homes pause, hearts reflect.
A nation remembers its duties
As much as its rights.
The final notes of Beating Retreat,
Fade into the night,
Leaving behind a promise renewed,
That India is on the move.
Republic Day is not just a day or a date,
It is a vow repeated every year:
To guard the Constitution,
To deepen democracy,
And to keep India, always,
A Republic of the people.
Jai Hind.
