LIVE from Kartavya Path: India Marks 77th Republic Day

 

LIVE from Kartavya Path: India Marks 77th Republic Day

India marked its 77th Republic Day with grand celebrations at Kartavya Path in New Delhi, reaffirming the country’s constitutional values, military strength, and cultural diversity. The event was broadcast live on digital platforms, including the official YouTube channel of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing tens of thousands of viewers from across the country and the Indian diaspora.

President Droupadi Murmu led the celebrations as the constitutional head of the Republic, accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior dignitaries. The ceremonial parade featured marching contingents of the armed forces, paramilitary units, and vibrant tableaux representing India’s states and Union Territories, highlighting themes of heritage, development, and national unity.

Republic Day Goes Digital

This year’s celebrations once again underlined how national events have entered a digital-first era. With over 43,000 concurrent viewers at peak, the livestream demonstrated the growing role of platforms like YouTube as extensions of state broadcasting. For many viewers—especially younger citizens and Indians living abroad—the livestream served as the primary window into the Republic Day ceremony.

A Parallel Conversation in the Live Chat

While the visuals on screen projected discipline, unity, and ceremonial order, the live chat told a different story. Messages of patriotism such as “Jai Hind” and “Jai Bharat” dominated the conversation, alongside religious slogans like “Jai Shree Ram.” At the same time, the chat became a space for political expression and dissent.

Numerous users raised concerns about recent policy changes, particularly the new UGC rules, debates around reservations, and demands for a rollback. Others used the moment to highlight regional and developmental issues, including calls for greater attention to regions such as North Karnataka. The Republic Day livestream thus doubled as a digital public forum, where celebration and protest coexisted in real time.

Unity on the Avenue, Diversity Online

The contrast between the choreographed ceremony at Kartavya Path and the unfiltered discourse in the chat window reflects the changing nature of Indian democracy. National events are no longer one-way spectacles; they are interactive moments where citizens speak back to power, even during the state’s most symbolic occasions.

A Republic Day of Many Voices

The 77th Republic Day celebrations showcased more than military parades and cultural pride. They revealed how modern India engages with its democracy—simultaneously respectful of national symbols and vocal about grievances. As India continues to digitize its public life, Republic Day is evolving into a two-way event: the state presents its vision of the nation, and citizens respond with pride, belief, questions, and demands.