January 26 was not some random date picked out of the calendar. It was on this date in 1927, that the Indian National Congress, then fighting its non-violent war for freedom, voted for complete independence as against 'dominion status'. It was the date when members of the INC took the pledge to work towards a 'sovereign democratic republic' of India. After the Constitution was written and adopted on November 1949, 26 January 1950 the following year was chosen as the day when India would finally arrive as a nation, complete with the lengthiest and the most detailed constitution in the world.

Individual satyagraha movement was initiated by Gandhiji in late 1940. In 1940 Vinoba bhave was chosen by Gandhi to be the first Individual Satyagrahi against the British rule. The second individual Satyagrahi was Jawahar Lal Nehru.