Constitutional Confidence

India’s Republic Day is often read through its splendid military pageantry which has become the symbolic visual shorthand for every January 26. But it is, in fact, an anniversary of restraint for in 1950, India chose to govern itself not by the passions of victory or grievance, but by a Constitution. As the country marks its 77th Republic Day, the past year offers evidence not just of spectacle, but of state capacity put to work.

The setting this year is heavy with symbolism. Kartavya Path will host a parade built around the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ which marked 150 years since Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote it.

Over the past year, India has demonstrated a greater willingness and ability to act decisively when its security interests are challenged. Operation Sindoor, which was the counterstrike launched in retaliation of the April 2025 Pahalgam massacre of civilians by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, revealed our superior counter-terror and border-management capabilities.

The aim has been deterrence without escalation: signalling resolve while avoiding the sort of adventurism that once left India diplomatically isolated.

The parade will underline that shift. The army’s new battle array formation will showcase indigenous drone units, rocket systems and the debut of the Bhairav Light Commando Battalion that are meant to show a force reorganising itself for modern conflict rather than ceremonial display. The emphasis on domestically produced platforms is not just nationalist branding. Supply-chain disruptions, sanctions regimes and geopolitical uncertainty have made defence self-reliance less an ideological preference than a strategic necessity.

Diplomacy, too, has had a productive year. The presence of the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa, as joint chief guests in the first such pairing signals how far India’s external stock has risen. Europe, anxious about overdependence on China and unsure of America’s long-term commitments, increasingly sees India as a stable democratic partner. For New Delhi, the EU-India summit that follows Republic Day is another chance to convert geopolitical goodwill into trade, technology and influence.

Beyond security and diplomacy, the republic has continued to consolidate its economic footing. Growth remains among the fastest in the world, while its public digital infrastructure has deepened financial inclusion, and manufacturing especially in electronics and defence has edged forward. Yet Republic Day is not meant to be a victory lap. The Constitution that came into force on January 26, 1950 was radical precisely because it assumed fallibility of leaders, institutions and majorities. Its checks and balances were designed for moments of confidence as much as moments of crisis. The achievements of the past year in operational assertiveness, diplomatic reach and economic resilience suggest a state more capable than it once was. The task ahead is to ensure that this capacity remains anchored to constitutional purpose. Republic Day endures not because of the parade, but because it renews a bargain that power, however effectively wielded, is ultimately answerable to the republic’s founding promises.