What does it mean to be a 'Republic'?

26 January, 2013

On this Republic Day this year, scribe Shreekant Sambrani, the former director of the Institute of Rural Management, has stressed the need to bring the perpetrators of economic and social wrong doings to book and to make the environment safer for all women and minorities and said, 'The leaderless, inchoate anti-political anger could succeed in bringing down the ancient regime, as it did in post-Tahrir Square Egypt or post-Emergency India. But can we honestly say that what followed was necessarily a change for the better? That is the question we need to mull as we get into yet another ritualistic incantation of our glorious Republic.'

I too feel that since our country deems itself a 'Repuplic' and celebrated Republic Day to honour the date on which the Constitution of India came into force on 26 January in 1950, we need to revisit the meaning of republic and safeguard the spirit of Republic.

Our, Republic Day has become an official ritual as of the three national holidays as 'festivals' by organising main official celebrations is held in the capital New Delhi by flag hoisting by the President and a parade. Ritualistic celebrations are also held in every state capital, where the Governor of the state unfurls the national flag.

There is a serious need to build our nation a true republic by mulling over afresh the meaning of republic. "A republic is a form of government in which the country is considered a 'public matter,' not the private concern or property of the rulers, and where offices of state are subsequently directly or indirectly elected or appointed rather than inherited. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of state is not a monarch. Currently, 135 of the world's 206 sovereign states use the word "republic" as part of their official names' informs Wikipedia.

Here is my acrostic on REPUBLIC to revisit its meaning and making India a true republic.

R: Regime that is

E: Elected democratically by

P: Popular vote to form the government to

U: Undertake public affairs to make governance

B:'By the people for the people’ work with

L: Legitimacy for political decisions and powers coming from the elected representatives and never

I: Inherited, it is more like

C: Civic humanism and social welfare collectivism within a constitutional framework