New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) When India marked its first Republic Day in 1950, Delhi administration observed it through modest celebrations in relief homes and rural schools, with children receiving souvenir
plates and women inmates given sweets and toys, according to archival records accessed by PTI.
The files reveal that the celebrations were largely decentralised with a focus on children, displaced families and women living in government-run institutions, reflecting the priorities of a city still recovering from the upheaval of Partition.
The records mentioned that in Delhi's rural areas, Republic Day celebrations were organised by the district board.
"Schoolchildren were given souvenir plates, while flags, poles and candles were supplied to institutions to mark the occasion," it stated.
The total expenditure was assessed at around Rs 11,250 for these activities and later itemised at Rs 11,093. The spending was examined and formally sanctioned by the then chief commissioner under the Punjab District Boards Act, 1883, the archival record showed.
Women inmates living in relief homes were also included in the Republic Day observances.
Files from the office of the then Chief Commissioner of Delhi highlighted that the Provincial Women's Section organised celebrations at Women's Section Homes, where fruits, sweets and toys were distributed to inmates on January 26, 1950.
An amount of Rs 750 was sanctioned for this purpose, of which around Rs 525 was spent on the day, leaving an unspent balance of Rs 225, according to the record.
Subsequent correspondence dated March 1950 shows that permission was granted to use the remaining Rs 225 for Women's Section Day celebrations later that year, it said.
The amount was spent on transporting inmates from different homes, hiring furniture and arranging refreshments for children. The expenditure was charged to the 'relief and rehabilitation miscellaneous' head, reflecting the administration's welfare-oriented approach.
The Women's Section Homes mentioned in the files were part of a broader network of hostels and relief institutions set up in Delhi after Partition to rehabilitate displaced women and children.
Archival material places the Provincial Women's Section office at P Block, New Delhi.
During this period, several women's hostels operated in central Delhi, including in and around the Connaught Place area, providing shelter, food and basic support to women affected by displacement.
Together, the documents suggest that Delhi's first Republic Day was marked not by spectacle but by carefully planned welfare activities backed by formal approvals and budgetary oversight. PTI SHB SMV SMV RUK
RUK
