For many students, Republic Day on campus has quietly turned into a long weekend. A flag unfurled in the morning, a few photos for social media and by afternoon the campus is empty. But for organisations like the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Republic Day has never been a formality. It is a reminder of the constitutional responsibility and of what student activism is meant to stand for.
On several campuses across the country, ABVP students have marked Republic Day not merely with slogans, but through constructive activities that actively engage students in nation-building. Through its various initiatives, ABVP has taken this commitment beyond symbolic celebration. Under Students for Development (SFD), cleaning drives were organised across the country, reinforcing civic responsibility. ABVP also recently launched a nationwide campaign, “Screen Time to Activity Time,” encouraging students to move beyond passive engagement and participate meaningfully in activities that contribute to individual and national development.
Under Students for Seva (SFS), ABVP organised blood donation camps across campuses, motivating students to donate blood, as a result, thousands of units were collected in a single day. Through its Khelo Bharat initiative, sports tournaments were conducted nationwide encouraging youth participation in fitness and sports in alignment with the Government of India’s Khelo India vision. Similarly, under the Rashtriya Kala Manch (RKM) cultural programmes were organised to educate and engage students with the rich cultural heritage of Bharat. In addition, felicitation programmes were held across campuses to acknowledge the often-overlooked contributions of sanitation workers, security personnel, and hostel staff who keep institutions functioning.
What stands out is the contrast. On the same campuses, Left-backed and Congress-affiliated student groups that otherwise try to dominate political space are often missing on such occasions. National days are either ignored, reduced to symbolic attendance, or dismissed as “state narratives.” Ironically, the same groups that speak the language of rights most fluently are often silent when it comes to duties. While these student organisations repeatedly claim ownership over constitutional rights, they often fail to meaningfully observe Republic Day, overlooking a fundamental constitutional duty shaped by the sacrifices of countless patriots.
Over time, these student organisations have shaped campuses into spaces where the idea of the nation itself is treated with suspicion. Discussions around India’s constitutional journey, national symbols, or collective identity are often framed as “majoritarian” or “state propaganda,” leaving little room for genuine engagement. On Republic Day, this discomfort becomes visible not through open opposition, but through silence and withdrawal. When student organisations avoid the very day that marks the birth of the Constitution, it raises serious questions about what aspects of constitutionalism it truly values.
The impact of this approach is subtle but lasting. It normalises cynicism toward the nation among students encountering political thought for the first time. Patriotism is portrayed as unsophisticated, national pride as exclusionary, and engagement with national symbols as something to be apologetic about. Republic Day reminds us that the Constitution was not written in abstraction rather it emerged from a freedom struggle rooted in love for the nation. Student politics that refuse to acknowledge this bond risk producing graduates fluent in critique but disconnected from the nation.
Republic Day forces us to confront this difference in approach. For ABVP, patriotism is not performative. It does not end with a flag or begin with a protest. It reflects in how student issues are taken up and in building youth who prioritise the nation. There have been instances where ABVP’s celebration of national days was mocked or opposed by various student groups. Flags were questioned, slogans problematised, and intentions doubted. But what is truly regressive, celebrating nationhood, or refusing to engage with it unless it suits a political narrative?
Student organisations must ask themselves a hard question today. Are we preparing students to lead the nation, or to oppose it? ABVP’s answer has been consistent with its Nation First motto.
As campuses debate the future of student representation, it is time students look beyond slogans. Celebration of national values, constructive engagement, and commitment to student welfare are not outdated ideas, they are urgently needed. ABVP’s growing support across campuses reflects this self-evident truth.
(This article was written by Sh. Bala Krishna Kanukati, Ph.D Scholar, Dept of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Hyderabad)