The list of notable attendees on Republic Day throughout the years includes everyone from Nelson Mandela to Vladimir Putin

On Friday, India will celebrate its 75th Republic Day. The centerpieces of the celebration will be the tableaus showcasing the country’s rich cultural legacy, traditions, and accomplishments.

In the capital city of every Indian state, preparations for the Republic Day Parade and the Beating the Retreat festivities are already underway.

Republic Day honors the January 26, 1950, promulgation of the Indian Constitution. India was declared independent of the British Raj in 1947, but it wasn’t until January 26, 1950, that the nation was formally proclaimed a republic and the Indian Constitution went into force.

This year, on January 26 in Delhi, the 75th Republic Day festivities will include French President Emmanuel Macron as the special guest.

Several heads of state have honored the occasion of India’s Republic Day throughout the years. During 2021 and 2022, no distinguished visitors were invited because of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Republic Day: The following is a history of the event’s top attendees:
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2023.

2020: Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro

2019: South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa

2018: Governors of states that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). These included the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah; the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen; the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo; the Prime Minister of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith; Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak; the State Counselor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi; President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte; Prime Minister of Singapore; Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha; and Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, in 2017.

French President Francois Hollande in 2016.

Barack Obama took office as US president in 2015.

2014: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

2013: Bhutan’s King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

2012: Thailand’s Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra

Other noteworthy historical figures: 1957: Soviet Union Minister of Defense Georgy Zhukov

1960: USSR President Kliment Voroshilov

1961: UK’s Queen Elizabeth

1967: Afghanistan’s King Mohammed Zahir Shah

1971: Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere

1995: South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela

2002: Mauritius President Cassam Uteem

2007: Russian President Vladimir Putin