January 26th was chosen because it was the anniversary of Purna Swaraj Day (Complete Independence) declared by India in 1930. Republic Day honors the date on which the Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950 replacing the Government of India Act (1935). The first Republic Day parade was held in 1955 at Rajpath. It took Dr. B.R. Ambedkar 2 Years, 11 Months And 18 Days to draft the Constitution. With 448 articles, 12 schedules, 25 parts, 5 appendices and 101 amendments, our Constitution is the longest written constitution in the world. The original constitution was handwritten in Hindi and English with calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizada. Republic Day celebrations are a 3-day long affair. The celebrations end on January 29 with the Beating Retreat ceremony held at Vijay Chowk. A Christian song, ‘Abide With Me’, is played at the R-Day Parade. The song is said to be Mahatma Gandhi's favourite.