iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
India’s military prowess was on full display as the country’s colorful cultural diversity was showcased at the 74th Republic Day celebrations at the Kartavya Path on Thursday, January 26.
President Droupadi Murmu unfurled the national flag at Kartavya Path on Thursday as she kicked off the Republic Day celebrations for the first time since assuming office last year. President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was the chief guest at this year’s parade.
‘Nari Shakti’ (women’s power) was predominantly the theme of the celebrations which began with the unfurling of the Tricolour followed by the national anthem and a customary 21 Gun Salute. Women officers led the marching contingents of the armed forces, CRPF, Akash missile system, and Army’s Daredevil team, and women’s empowerment was the main theme of tableaux of several states at the parade.
This was for the first time that the 21 Gun Salute was given with 105 mm Indian Field Guns. It replaced the vintage 25-pounder gun. The British-era 25-pounder guns had been used for decades for the 21-gun salute, while the 105mm Indian Field Guns were indigenously produced.
President Murmu was escorted from her residence to the venue by the President’s Bodyguard on their Bay and Dark Bay-coloured mounts. On Thursday, the President’s Bodyguard, the seniormost Regiment of the Indian Army, marked 250 years since its raising, in 1773, at Varanasi.
Mounted columns of 61 Cavalry, nine mechanized columns, six marching contingents, and a fly-past by helicopters of Army Aviation — two weapon system integrated Rudra choppers – represented the Indian Army. The mechanized column included three quick reaction fighting vehicles, two 10m short-span bridges, and a mobile microwave node and mobile network center.
A fly-past by MiG-29, Su-30 MKI, and Rafale fighters as well as C-130 Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster transport planes mesmerized the mammoth audience that had gathered at the venue. Fighter jets Rafale, Sukhoi, and MiG also displayed various formations. A modular 8X8 wheeled combat platform developed in India the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP), carried on a 70-tonne trailer, was displayed by the DRDO at its tableaux.
At the cultural extravaganza Vande Bharatam 479 artists selected from a national level competition performed in front of the entire nation on the theme ‘Nari Shakti’. During the parade, the artists, through their energetic performance, enthralled the audience and highlighted India’s diverse cultural and artistic heritage. A colorful tableau of the Ministry of Culture that was showcased at the Republic Day celebrations featured several folk dances celebrating the goddesses.
A six-day mega event “Bharat Parv” was also inaugurated on Thursday as part of the Republic Day celebrations at the Red Fort Lawns by the Union Minister for Culture, Tourism, G.K Reddy. “Artists, handicrafts, and food stalls from all over India are participating in the Bharat Parv which is promoting millet this year.”
The event has on the agenda a food festival, handicraft mela, folk, and tribal dance performances, performances by cultural troupes, display of Republic Day tableaux, and the illumination of the Red Fort.
