Republic Day celebrations to begin from Subhash Chandra Bose' birth anniversary on January 23

FILE: Indian army soldiers march during rehearsals for the upcoming Republic Day parade at the Raisina hills, the government seat of power, in New Delhi, January 18, 2021. (Image: AP)

The Republic Day celebrations will now begin every year from January 23 instead of January 24 to include the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, government sources said on Saturday.

This is in line with the government's focus on commemorating important aspects of India's history and culture, they said, noting it had earlier started celebrating Bose's birth anniversary as "Parakram Divas".

Other such days, observance of which have become a yearly affair, are August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, October 31 as National Unity Day (birth anniversary of Sardar Patel), November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Birsa Munda's birth anniversary), November 26 as Constitution Day and December 26 as Veer Baal Divas (a tribute to the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh), sources added.