REPUBLIC DAY OF INDIA
In 2019, India celebrated its 70th Republic Day. First Republic Day of India was celebrated in 1950.
Cyril Ramaphosa“, the fifth and current President of South Africa was the Chief Guest on 70th Republic Day of India 2019.
He (from South Africa) was especially chosen for this occasion because India is celebrating the 150thbirth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who had very close links with the people of South Africa.
The theme of the Republic Day 2019 celebration was ‘Gandhi’ as India celebrates his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.
- M777 Howitzer and K9-Vajra-T guns were also showcased in the parade which were recently inducted in the Indian Army.
- It was first time in the history that an all women contingent of Assam Rifles took part in the parade.
- It was also the first time when an all men Army Services Corps was led by a woman officer, Lt. Bhawana Kasturi.
- Declaration of various awards was also done on the eve of the Republic Day. Former President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was awarded Bharat Ratna. Social activist Nanaji Deshmukh and famous singer Sri Bhupen Hazarika were also awarded Bharat Ratna, posthumously.
INDIAN REPUBLIC DAY CHIEF GUEST LIST
FROM 1950 TO 2019
As every year, India follows the great Indian culture and tradition, i.e. “Atithi Devo Bhav” of welcoming the prime Minister or President of another country as a chief guest. This year, the chief guests on the Republic Day of India, 2018 were 10 great leaders from 10 countries of the world (Heads of ASEAN states). Below is the list of all chief guests welcomed in India at each Republic Day from the year India was declared as Republic country till 2018:
| Year | Guest Name | Country |
| 2019 | Cyril Ramaphosa | South Africa |
| 2018 |
Sultan and incumbent Prime Minister, Hassanal Bolkiah Prime Minister, Hun Sen President, Joko Widodo Prime Minister, Thongloun Sisoulith Prime Minister, Najib Razak President, Htin Kyaw President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte President, Halimah Yacob Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha Prime Minister, Nguyễn Xuân Phúc |
Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam |
| 2017 | Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Abu Dhabi |
| 2016 | President, Francois Hollande | France |
| 2015 | President, Barack Obama | USA |
| 2014 | Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe | Japan |
| 2013 | King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 2012 | Prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra | Thailand |
| 2011 | President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono | Indonesia |
| 2010 | President, Lee Myung Bak | Republic of Korea |
| 2009 | President, Nursultan Nazarbayev | Kazakhstan |
| 2008 | President, Nicolas Sarkozy | France |
| 2007 | President, Vladimir Putin | Russia |
| 2006 | King, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud | Saudi Arabia |
| 2005 | King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 2004 | President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva | Brazil |
| 2003 | President, Mohammed Khatami | Iran |
| 2002 | President, Cassam Uteem | Mauritius |
| 2001 | President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika | Algeria |
| 2000 | President, Olusegun Obasanjo | Nigeria |
| 1999 | King, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev | Nepal |
| 1998 | President, Jacques Chirac | France |
| 1997 | Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 1996 | President, Dr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso | Brazil |
| 1995 | President, Nelson Mandela | South Africa |
| 1994 | Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong | Singapore |
| 1993 | Prime Minister, John Major | United Kingdom |
| 1992 | President, Mário Soares | Portugal |
| 1991 | President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom | Maldives |
| 1990 | Prime Minister, Anerood Jugnauth | Mauritius |
| 1989 | General Secretary, Nguyen Van Linh | Vietnam |
| 1988 | President, Junius Jayewardene | Sri Lanka |
| 1987 | President, Alan Garcia | Peru |
| 1986 | Prime Minister, Andreas Papandreou | Greece |
| 1985 | President, Raúl Alfonsín | Argentina |
| 1984 | King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 1983 | President, Shehu Shagari | Nigeria |
| 1982 | King, Juan Carlos I | Spain |
| 1981 | President, Jose Lopez Portillo | Mexico |
| 1980 | President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing | France |
| 1979 | Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser | Australia |
| 1978 | President, Patrick Hillery | Ireland |
| 1977 | First Secretary, Edward Gierek | Poland |
| 1976 | Prime Minister, Jacques Chirac | France |
| 1975 | President, Kenneth Kaunda | Zambia |
| 1974 | President, Josip Broz Tito | Yugoslavia |
| Prime Minister, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike | Sri Lanka | |
| 1973 | President, Mobutu Sese Seko | Zaire |
| 1972 | Prime Minister, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam | Mauritius |
| 1971 | President, Julius Nyerere | Tanzania |
| 1970 | – | |
| 1969 | Prime Minister, Todor Zhivkov | Bulgaria |
| 1968 | Prime Minister, Alexei Kosygin | Soviet Union |
| President, Josip Broz Tito | Yugoslavia | |
| 1967 | – | |
| 1966 | – | |
| 1965 | Food and Agriculture Minister, Rana Abdul Hamid | Pakistan |
| 1964 | – | |
| 1963 | King, Norodom Sihanouk | Cambodia |
| 1962 | – | |
| 1961 | Queen, Elizabeth II | United Kingdom |
| 1960 | President, Kliment Voroshilov | Soviet Union |
| 1959 | – | |
| 1958 | Marshall Ye Jianying | People’s Republic of China |
| 1957 | – | |
| 1956 | – | |
| 1955 | Governor General, Malik Ghulam Muhammad | Pakistan |
| 1954 | King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 1953 | – | |
| 1952 | – | |
| 1951 | – | |
| 1950 | President, Sukarno | Indonesia |
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