Inauguration of The Republic of India 26.1.1950

A special set of 4 stamps were issued on 26th January 1950, to commemorate the inauguration of the Republic of India. The designs of the stamps are simple and symbolic. The first 2 annas stamp is intended for inland postage, depicts children watching procession of cavaliers carrying flags and blowing trumpets which herald India’s attainment of full Nationhood. The second 3½ annas stamp is intended for foreign Sea Mail, depicts a quill and an ink pot against the back ground of Mahatma Gandhiji’s favourite hymn “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.”, symbolize Nation’s Education. The third 4 annas stamp intended for registration, depicts an ear of grain and a plough, symbolize Bharat as an Agricultural Country. The last 12 annas stamp intended for foreign Air Mail depicts Charkha, symbolize of Bharat Cottage Industry.

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four world religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, overpopulation, inadequate public healthcare, and terrorism. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks ninth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and a multi-ethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.