On 26 January, Australia feels pride and mourning. This country tells a different story

For India, 26 January marks the complete independence from British rule. For some in Australia, it signals the exact opposite.

Indian students perform a dance during a Republic Day parade in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata in 2023. Source: AAP / Piyal Adhikary / EPA

Across the country, Australians will be waking up on 26 January with mixed emotions — some of pride, others of mourning.

Some might choose to spend the public holiday at the beach, while others will attend Invasion Day or Survival Day rallies or events in support of Indigenous Australians.

Some of the country’s migrants will become new citizens.

People celebrating Australia Day at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Source: AAP / Tracey Nearmy

But thousands of kilometres away, a different — and more unified — picture unfolds every year on 26 January.

India also marks its national day on this date.

Known as Republic Day, the celebration of independence from Britain is a colourful affair.

What makes 26 January special for India?

Republic Day is one of India’s three main national holidays.

It marks the official beginning of its independence from British rule, when the constitution of India came into effect in 1950.

While India had achieved independence three years earlier (15 August 1947), it remained governed largely by the Government of India Act, which was passed by the British parliament in 1935.

School students rehearse dances for the 2024 Republic Day Parade at a stadium in Gurugram, India. Source: AAP / Hindustan Times / Sipa USA

"This act was the key document that legalised the ‘Government of India’. But on 26 January 1950, when the constitution was adopted, India became a republic and essentially cut off all ties with the British empire," Pradeep Taneja, an academic fellow at the Australia-India Institute, told SBS News.

"India joined the Commonwealth, not as a dominion [of the British empire], but as a fully independent republic."

How is India's Republic Day celebrated?

Republic Day is widely seen as a day of celebration, Taneja said.

It's a grand affair that is marked by events across the country.

The main event takes place in the capital, New Delhi, with a public parade held along New Delhi's central avenue, Kartavya Path, earlier known as Rajpath, in front of cheering crowds on both sides of the road.

An Indian Army unit joins a parade during the 74th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi in 2023. Source: AAP / Hjarish Tyagi / EPA

The parade is usually presided over by the president of India, who raises the national flag and takes a salute from the country's armed forces as their supreme commander.

Regiments of the army, navy and air force perform an elaborate guard of honour and aerial flypasts in the colours of the flag.

Over the past few years, defence force helicopters have been seen showering rose petals over the cheering crowds, the parade and the chief guest to reflect the mood of a rejoicing nation.

An Indian army helicopter drops rose petals during a Republic Day parade in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on 26 January 2023. Source: AAP / Piyal Adhikary / EPA

The mightiest of India’s defence equipment and symbols of its technological advances are also exhibited along with grand tableaux from each of its nearly 30 states and union territories.

This year, the lunar rover Chandrayaan 3 — which India successfully pioneered in landing on the south pole of the moon — is expected to be displayed.

Much of the country comes together to commemorate liberty, diversity, military strength and cultural heritage.

At events across the country, the national anthem is sung in unison, the national flag is unfurled, and dance and music performances are staged after months of rehearsal.

Every year, a foreign leader is invited to attend the parade as the 'chief guest'.

Former US president Barack Obama, former British and Australian prime ministers John Major and Malcolm Fraser, among others, have been in that seat over the years.

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to attend this year's celebrations.

French president Emmanuel Macron and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Paris in 2023. Source: AAP / Julien de Rosa / AP

A 'sharp contrast' between Australia and India's national days

For Australia, 26 January paints a conflicting picture.

It marks the day in 1788 when British captain Arthur Phillip led the First Fleet into what is now known as Sydney Cove in NSW and raised a British flag for the first time.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it's seen as the start of the colonisation of their land and is a day of mourning, referred to as Invasion Day or Survival Day.

People march during an Invasion Day rally in Brisbane on 26 January 2023. Source: AAP / Jono Searle

"The contrast [between the two national days] actually is very sharp," Taneja said.

"While 26 January in India marks complete independence for India, in Australia, it marks the beginning of the colonisation of the continent."

India’s constitution was drafted by its Constituent Assembly over three years and adopted by a vote in November 1949. It came into effect the following year.

The chosen date marked the day on which the Indian National Congress — the political party that led India's independence movement — first called for 'Poorna Swaraj' or complete independence from British rule.

Understanding Australia’s 26 January better

For Indian migrants in Australia, Taneja said an understanding of what 26 January means — particularly for Indigenous Australians — would improve with time spent living in the country.

"But one thing I think that most Indians like about Australia Day is that it is a public holiday and it also allows them to celebrate Indian Republic Day," he said.

Australia Day is also a day when Indian migrants might become new citizens, with councils around the country hosting citizenship ceremonies.

In December 2022, the Albanese government scrapped rules introduced by the previous Coalition government, which forced local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on 26 January or have their ability to hold ceremonies removed.

Ceremonies can now be held from 23 to 29 January. A growing number of councils have since announced moves away from holding ceremonies on 26 January.

With additional reporting from Reuters.