jamshedpur।
Tata Steel marks the Republic Day every year with full zeal, enthusiasm and patriotic fervour, when it was first commemorated on January 26, 1950. It is the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect, replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India, thus turning the nation into a republic separate from British Raj.
Tata Steel Limited (then Tata Iron & Steel Company Limited, TISCO) took part in the Republic Day celebration at Rajpath, New Delhi, in 1957. It was for the first time that a private company was invited to participate in the cultural parade. The chief guest for the occasion was Georgy Zukhov, the then Defence Minister of the Soviet Union.
The theme for the celebration was “3000 years of Tradition of Steel Making.” The float prepared for the parade showcased the famous iron pillar of Qutab Minar and exhibited the primitive process for steel making. The participants in the float wore traditional warrior costumes, holding steel swords and spears. Lastly, the famous scene of Indian King Porus gifting steel to Alexander the Great was enacted.
A team of over 25 people escorted the float including college students and teachers from Jamshedpur as well as people from raw material locations of Tata Steel.
One day before the celebration, the then Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, visited the Talkotra Gardens, where the floats were being prepared for the parade. He showed keen interest in the displays and spent quite some time with the team.
The public who was present for the occasion cheered the float as it made its way from Rajpath to Red Fort.
The team was later invited for tea at Rashtrapati Bhavan where they met the then President of India, Shri Rajendra Prasad. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru also invited the team for tea at his residence.
