A Royal Bengal tiger in Google stripes and a jungle-like motif with the lotus flower and the India Gate in the background. That is the Google doodle on its India homepage. The doodle celebrates the occasion of the country's 64th Republic Day.
The doodle features India's national animal, the Royal Bengal Tiger, and its national flower, the lotus. The Google logo appears as the tiger's stripes.
Republic Day is celebrated as the day when the Constitution of India came into effect on - 26th January 1950.
Although Indian Independence came on 15th August 1947, the country was governed under the Government of India Act, 1935. The act was replaced once the Constitution came into effect. Hence, Republic Day is seen and celebrated as the day when India broke all ties from the British Empire.
Republic Day commemorates the date when the Constitution of India was enacted and became the document that governed the country.
On January 26, 1950, over 300 Parliamentarians signed two handwritten copies of the new Constitution - an English and a Hindi version. Two days later, the Constitution became the law.
Drafted by a Committee that was headed by B.R. Ambedkar, the Constitution of India replaced the Government of India Act of 1935 that had previously governed colonial India. The Constitution declared the country as a “sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic”.
While the main parade takes place in the national capital, New Delhi, before the President, the anniversary celebrations take place across different state capitals and other places too.
This is the third doodle on the occasion of Republic Day featured on Google India’s homepage. Last year (2012), the Google doodle depicted six children riding on the back of three elephants decked in finery and tricoloured umbrellas; a reference to the winners of the bravery awards who participate in the Republic Day parade in Delhi.
In 2010, the India Republic Day Google had depicted Republic Day action in the air with fighter aircrafts decorating the sky with the Tricolour.