India, Jan. 26 -- "No real change in history has ever been achieved by discussion"- Subhash Chandra Bose My earliest memory of Republic Day is of watching the parade with my father on 26 January 1967. I remember the ride on his new Vespa scooter to somewhere in the India Gate area, parking behind a large crowd and feeling lost till he hoisted me on his shoulders to see beyond the million heads. The thrill has stayed with me ever since!

Raj Path, as it was then called, was known till Independence as 'King's Way', named so in 1911 to mark the coronation of King George V. In fact, his statue adorned a prominent canopy near India Gate till as late as 1968, when it had to be removed due to public resentment. There was also a 'King's Way Camp'...