On Sunday, President Droupadi Murmu of India and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rode in a special horse-drawn buggy to the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path in Delhi. This buggy, which stopped being used in 1984, made a comeback last year. It previously carried President Murmu and France’s President Emmanuel Macron during last year’s celebrations.
The buggy is a fancy black carriage with the Indian national symbol of four lions on it, all in gold. It’s pulled by a mix of Indian and Austrian horses and has shiny gold rims. As the presidents ride, they are protected by the President’s bodyguards, the top soldiers in the Indian Army.
The buggy was stopped back in 1984 after a tragic event when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her bodyguards. For many years after, presidents traveled in fancy cars. It was only in January 2024 that the buggy returned. In 2014, former President Pranab Mukherjee used it for a different ceremony, and later, President Ram Nath Kovind also used it for important events.
Republic Day is celebrated on January 26 each year. This day marks the adoption of the Indian Constitution in 1950, making India a democratic republic three years after gaining independence from Britain on August 15, 1947. The Constitution was created by the Constituent Assembly and officially accepted on November 26, 1949. The January 26 date was chosen to remember when the Indian National Congress declared complete independence on that same date in 1930. November 26 is known as Constitution Day.
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