Culture and Courage: How Creators Marked India’s 77th Republic Day Online

Republic Day has always been about more than parades and speeches. In 2026, as India celebrated its 77th Republic Day, creators across backgrounds used their platforms to document service, heritage, art, and innovation in ways that felt deeply human. Here’s how creators from travel, music, art, tech, and culture marked the occasion, each in their own language.

Kamiya Jani – Inside India’s Silent Service

Followers: 1M+ (Instagram)
Platform: Instagram, Curly Tales
Niche: Travel, human-interest storytelling

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For Republic Day 2026, Kamiya Jani became the civilian bridge between the public and one of India’s most secretive defence spaces.

As part of Sandese Aate Hai, she spent time aboard INS Shishumar, INS Sindhuraj, and INS Vagsheer, documenting what life under the sea actually looks like. Her visit focused on the human reality of submarine service — months without sunlight, cramped sleeping quarters, one shared toilet, and no showers during long deployments.

Before boarding, she collected handwritten letters from citizens across India on JK Paper and personally delivered them to submariners — turning public gratitude into something tangible.

The episode, released around Republic Day, offered a rare, respectful look at naval life, not through drama, but through quiet endurance.

Ismail Langa Music Group – Patriotism Through Folk Sound

Followers: 200K+ (combined social presence)
Platform: Live performances, social video
Niche: Folk music, cultural preservation

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When Ismail Khan Langa and his group performed “Maa Tujhe Salaam”, it wasn’t staged patriotism. It was traditional speaking.

Rooted in Rajasthan’s Langa community — a hereditary folk-music lineage — their Republic Day performance blended raw desert vocals with national emotion. The result felt timeless, reminding audiences that patriotism doesn’t need orchestras when it already lives in lived culture.

Their performance stood as a reminder that India’s unity is carried not just by symbols, but by sound passed through generations.

Chetan Raut – Bharat Mata, Built with Light

Followers: 150K+
Platform: Instagram, public installations
Niche: Large-scale cultural art

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Artist Chetan Raut created one of the most visually striking Republic Day installations of 2026, a 95-foot by 75-foot mosaic of Bharat Mata, assembled entirely using over 2.5 lakh earthen diyas.

Each diya formed a single pixel in a massive portrait that entered the World Records India list for scale and cultural significance. When lit, the artwork transformed into a glowing symbol of collective effort — clay, colour, and patience forming national identity.

It wasn’t just art. It was labour, faith, and tradition arranged by hand.

Sudarsan Pattnaik – Republic Day in Sand

Followers: 700K+
Platform: Instagram, global media
Niche: Sand art, public messages

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Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik marked the 77th Republic Day with a sand sculpture at Puri Beach, Odisha, themed “Mera Bharat Mahan.”

The sculpture paid tribute to India’s freedom fighters and constitutional visionaries, using sand, an impermanent medium, to speak about enduring values. As with his previous works, the message was clear without being loud: democracy survives because people remember.

Shared widely across media, the sculpture reminded audiences that art doesn’t need permanence to carry weight.

ZikiGuy – Taking the Tiranga to Near Space

Followers: 500K+
Platform: Instagram, YouTube
Niche: Tech experiments, science content

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In one of the most ambitious Republic Day projects this year, Ziki and a group of Karnataka-based tech enthusiasts attempted a near-space Tiranga unfurling.

Using a hydrogen-filled high-altitude balloon, the team planned to carry the Indian flag to approximately 100,000 feet, well into the stratosphere. The balloon was designed to burst at altitude, automatically unfurling the flag and capturing the moment on onboard cameras.

The mission received clearance from DGCA and the Airports Authority of India, ensuring safety and legality. Shared widely online, the project combined science, patriotism, and creator-led innovation — showing how Republic Day can be marked not just on land, but near the edge of space.