SSC
The chief guest at India's first Republic Day celebrations (1950) was the President of:
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Answer: Option C — Indonesia
Detailed Solution
The chief guest at India's first Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 1950 was Sukarno, the first President of Indonesia. India and Indonesia had close ties because both were newly independent countries emerging from colonial rule, and India had strongly supported Indonesia's struggle for independence from the Dutch. Both countries later became founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961.
The first Republic Day:
- The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950, and India became a sovereign democratic republic.
- Dr Rajendra Prasad was sworn in as the first President of India on that day.
The first Republic Day parade was held at the Irwin Stadium (now the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium) in New Delhi. The parade moved to Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) in 1955.
26 January was chosen because on this day in 1930, the Indian National Congress had celebrated "Purna Swaraj Day", following the Lahore session resolution of December 1929.
Republic Day chief guest traditions:
Every year, India invites a foreign head of state or government as the chief guest. The choice reflects India's diplomatic priorities.
In 1955, the first chief guest at the parade on Rajpath was Malik Ghulam Muhammad, the Governor-General of Pakistan.
In 2015, Barack Obama became the first US President to be chief guest.
In 2018, the leaders of all ten ASEAN countries were chief guests together.
In 2021 and 2022, there was no chief guest because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was the chief guest in 2025, marking 75 years of the first Republic Day with an Indonesian guest again.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was chief guest in 2023.
- ✗Yugoslavia's Marshal Tito was chief guest in 1968 and 1974.
- ✗Nepal's King Tribhuvan was chief guest in 1951.
Quick tip
Remember: First Republic Day chief guest (1950) = President Sukarno of Indonesia; 2025 chief guest = Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto; first US President = Obama (2015).
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Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.