New Delhi:
On Republic Day, the tradition of calling the heads of state as Chief Guest has been going on for a long time. Indonesia President Prabovo Subianto will be the chief guest at the 76th National Republic Day celebrations of India this time. The list of Chief Guest called on Republic Day is quite long and the name of US President Barack Obama is also included in this list. Not only this, there was a time when India invited the leaders of its ‘enemy’ countries Pakistan and China for Republic Day as Chief Guest.
The then Governor General of Pakistan Malik Ghulam Muhammad was the chief guest on the Republic Day of 1955. For the first time in Rajpath, the Republic Day parade was taken out in 1955 and since then it became the site of Republic Day parade. After this, the Chief Guest of Republic Day was also from Pakistan in 1965. Food and Agriculture Milister Rana Abdul Hameed of the Government of Pakistan was the chief guest. Similarly, on the occasion of Republic Day in 1958, Marshal Yen Gianing of People’s Liberation Army was called as the chief guest.
Chief guest of Republic Day celebrations
Last year (2024), French President Emmanuel Macron was the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations. While Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Seasi attended the celebrations of 2023. In view of Kovid-19 epidemic, there were no chief guests in Republic Day celebrations in 2021 and 2022. In the year 2020, the then President of Brazil, Zayer Bolsonaro, was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. In 2019, South African President Cyril Ramfosa was the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade, while in 2018, leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries attended the ceremony.
In the year 2017, the Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi was the chief guest at the ceremony, while in 2016, the then President of France, François Hollande, attended the ceremony. In 2015, the then US President Barack Obama was the chief guest. In 2014, the then Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was the chief guest at the function. King Jigme Kesar Namgyal Wangchuk of Bhutan attended the Republic Day celebrations in 2013.
The heads of state and heads of state have participated in Republic Day celebrations, Nicholas Sarkozy (2008) and Jacques Shik (1998) and Russia President Vladimir Putin. Nelson Mandela attended the ceremony in 1995 as the President of South Africa.
Other world leaders who attended Republic Day celebrations are Raja Birendra Birendra Shah Dev of Nepal in 1999, Mohammad Khatmi, the then President of Iran in 2003, the then President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 1991.
Also read- NDTV Explainer: The constitution that gave India a separate identity in the world was ready … Read the full story of its formation
(Tagstotranslate) Republic Day India (T) Republic Day 2025 (T) Republic Day Chief Guest (T) Republic Day Chief Guest Pakistan (T) Republic Day 2025 (T) Republic Day 2025 (T) Republic Day 2025 Images (T) Republic Day (T) Republic Day 2025 is republic day