Every year, on the eve of Republic Day, the President of India delivers an annual speech which often calls for collective introspection. The speeches seek to remind the Indian populace not only about how far the country has come since its inception, but also how far we have to go in the pursuit of core ideals that the makers of our Constitution had spelt out.
As President Ram Nath Kovind addresses the nation on the eve of India’s 72nd Republic Day, we look back at five pre-Republic Day presidential speeches of real significance.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, 1950
When India’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, made his inaugural Republic address on 26 January 1950, he spoke of the core principles of our Constitution, while also marveling at how this incredibly diverse country had come together under the umbrella of one Union.
“Today, for the first time in a long and chequered history, we find the whole of this vast land, from Kashmir in the north to Cape Comorin in the south, from…