Who Was The Chief Guest Of 1975 Republic Day: The Year of the Emergency

The Emergency was imposed in India from 25th June 1975 to 21st March 1977. And it was a third such Emergency invoked in India; the other two were during the wars against China and Pakistan in 1962 and 1971 respectively. Although, the perios is seen as a blot on the Indian democracy, with many of the opposition leaders sent to jail, the erstwhile government decided to continue with all the national celebrations during the phase.

Article 352 mentions the Emergency in the Indian Constitution. The emergency gives the Central government power to suspend citizens' fundamental rights and curb other liberties people enjoy in normal circumstances.

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Since it was invoked on 25th June 1975, the Chief guest was invited to a ¡®non-emergency¡¯, annual Republic Day celebration. But 1975 is remembered as the defining year of an important moment in India¡¯s post-independence history.

Kenneth Kaunda was the Chief guest of the 1975 Republic Day celebrations. He was instrumental in leading Zambia to independence in 1964 and was born in 1924. Kaunda was president of the country from 1964-1991 and passed away in 2021.

In an obituary published on Kanuda in the Guardian, the writer describes him as ¡®a consummate politician¡¯ and an ¡®idealist and visionary¡¯.

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An article in Hindustan Times described him as,¡¯Impressed by Gandhi¡¯s asceticism, he was a non-drinker and a non-smoker, and gave up eating meat because people of colour had to shop at a separate window at the butcher¡¯s in the colonial days. He was an orator who could rouse crowds, yet utterly soft-spoken in private, a perfect host pouring out the coffee for guests after a state house banquet. Gifted with a singing voice, his image was inextricably linked with the song ¡°Tiyende Pamodzi¡± (Let¡¯s pull together).

India-Zambia relations

The leaders of the freedom struggle in Zambia took inspiration from those in India, particularly Mahatma Gandhi. Even among Zambia's leaders and the younger generation, the Mahatma still inspires awe. And Zambia considers India as ¡®all weather and time-tested friend.¡¯

The first Republican President of Zambia, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, travelled to India more than 10 times, including once as a state visitor in 1967 and once as a liberation fighter in 1957.

India recognized the needs of the newly liberated country and devoted ample resources to the nation-building efforts in Zambia.

Dr Kaunda¡¯s efforts to forge a deep relationship with India has worked both ways and especially helped Zambia undertake enormous nation-building projects.

Assistance to Post-Independent nation-states

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Zambia has benefited from India's policy of development assistance. In addition to fully paid scholarships for various higher education courses, ITEC training slots, and specialised capacity-building programmes under IAFS, India has supplied EXIM Bank credits, railway wagons, flood relief grants, and lines of credit.

Zambia received government and EXIM Bank credits from India totalling Rs. 25 crores in 1979 and 1982. Under the Africa Fund in 1989, India gave Zambia railroad carriages worth roughly Rs. 8 crores. Zambia News Agency received other aid, including emergency medical supplies and Maruti automobiles.

In 2011, it was reported that 650 prefabricated health posts will be built in remote areas, and in 2013, a LOC worth US$ 50 million was signed.

Zambia has been also been included in the second phase of the Cotton Technical Assistance Program (CTAP) by the Indian government.

With its abundance of natural resources, Zambia has drawn significant Indian investment, particularly in the mining industry. India is one of the top investors in Zambia, having pledged nearly $5 billion in investments. Indian investments in Zambia include the 1984-founded Indo-Zambia Bank, a joint venture between the Government of Zambia and three Indian public sector banks, namely the Bank of India, the Bank of Baroda, and the Central Bank of India.