It is a cold winter morning. Our parents are streaming DD national in our homes and waking us up to watch the republic day parade that strolls proudly till India gate. Then we got ready and ran to the school to participate in the march past, holding our national flag and enjoying the events held there. Our nostalgic memories are incomplete without the proud feeling of pinning the flag or the badge on our uniform! No republic day or independence day celebrations come to an end without sweets and chocolates.
But have you ever felt like those days are gone when we had the chance to celebrate our patriotism and got etched in our minds as sweet memories? We might have missed this opportunity somewhere with time-demanding days of higher education. But it is never too late to get back on track for the Indian republic day celebrations!
Especially we cannot miss the republic day festivities when we are a closed community while studying abroad! So, here are some ways to reminisce the memories of republic day extravaganzas of school with fellow Indians there, but in a slightly different way!
6 ways to celebrate the Indian Republic day while studying abroad.
- Watch the live streaming of the Republic day parade
- Arrange a little gathering and hoist the national flag
- Listen to the speech of the President of India
- Grab your popcorn bag and stream a few patriotic movies
- Revisit your favourite memory from your school republic day celebrations
- Make your contribution to the day creatively!
1. Watch live streaming of the republic day parade
Switch on to any Indian news channel that streams the parade live. Mainly, every national channel streams the parade, which you can watch either on their website or on their youtube channel. Each colourful and vibrant parade depicts the heritage of India’s state and union territory. In short, it is a dynamic blend of cultures from the nook and corner of India!
2. Arrange a little gathering and hoist the national flag
Meet and greet the fellow Indians on your campus and organise a little fest for Indian republic day celebrations. And do not leave out the essential part of the gathering- hoisting the flag! You can also add events that showcase each one’s talents and make the fest more entertaining!
3. Listen to the speech of the President of India
For every republic day, our Indian President gives a speech addressing the citizens of our country. Every Indian ambassador overseas streams or releases a statement for the citizens living in their country. So, you can spend some time listening to his address and wishes to the nation.
4. Grab your popcorn bag and stream a few patriotic movies!
Now it’s time to binge-watch a few box-office hits that were loved and celebrated by audiences globally. So here are a few I can list out! Groove to ARR’s tunes and indulge in Rang De Basanti and Lagaan; get to know or revisit the life of our Mahatma in the Oscar-winning biopic Gandhi. Also, you can look out for the thriller action-packed Shershaah and Raazi, a life of a man in Swadesh or a racy sports movie like Dangal and Chak De India! Let’s make the Indian republic day celebrations a little filmy!
5. Revisit your favourite memory from your school republic day celebrations
What makes the day more special than revisiting our old school days?! So, sit with your friends and have a friendly chat with each other on how they used to celebrate Indian republic or independence day in their schools. These topics evolve eventually into an open conversation. Maybe this will pave the way to make new friends and connections! While studying abroad, getting to know each other makes us feel at home!
6. Make your contribution to the celebrations creatively!
To make the Indian republic day celebrations more entertaining in your bubble, create a day-themed artwork; put on a dance or a music show; even create a drama script based on significant events revolving around patriotism!
So, set for the celebrations?! I wish you all a happy republic day! Let the pride in our minds and freedom in our hearts fly across the globe with colours! Let the boundaries not stop you from what you want to pursue as your education and career!
