Republic Day: Unknown and interesting facts about January 26

India on Thursday will celebrate its 68^th Republic Day. January 26 marks the day when the Indian Constitution came into force. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949.

Every year since then India celebrates the day with great zeal and showcases its military prowess at Rajpath in New Delhi.

Indian history which is rich in culture and heritage has a lot to expound upon when it comes to days of national importance. Here are some interesting facts to know about the Republic Day of India:

#Till date, India has the longest written Constitution in the world. It has 448 articles in 22 Parts, 12 Schedules and 97 Amendments.

#January 36 was chosen as Republic Day because it was on this day in 1930 when the Indian National Congress declared Purna Swaraj or Indian independence from the British regime.

# There are two hand-written copies of the Constitution — in Hindi and in English. The copies are kept in helium filled cases in the Parliament’s library.

# Abide With Me, believed to be one of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite songs is played at the end of the Republic Day ceremony every year.

# Dr BR Ambedkar — Chairman of the Constitution Committee took about two years and 11 months to make the first draft.

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