From indigenous 105 mm Indian field guns giving a 21-gun salute and a BSF contingent of women riding on camels, several ‘firsts’ were recorded as India celebrated its 74th Republic Day on Thursday last. It was also the first time that the Republic Day parade was held on the newly renamed Kartavya Path.
Among the special features were a contingent from Egypt, the display of only Made-in-India military armament and a contingent of newly recruited Agniveers. ‘Nari shakti’ was the dominant theme, from several contingents to tableaux.
The Republic Day celebrations commenced at the National War Memorial where Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs. Then, President Droupadi Murmu was escorted by the President’s Bodyguard on dark bay coloured mounts to Kartavya Path, where Egyptian president Abdel Fattah elSisi was received by Modi.
Woman power on
full display
The 23 colourful tableaux from different states and ministries - many with the common theme of women empowerment and devotion - mesmerised the audience.
During the grand parade, 479 artistes in the age group of 17-30 years won the hearts of the audience with their vibrant and energetic performances. Their dance depicted the ‘power of women’ through five elements - earth, water, air, space and fire comprising classical, folk and contemporary fusion. Though the focus of the Narendra Modi government has been to put women in the leading roles in the R-Day parade for the last few years, this was the first time they were seen in large numbers dominating the parade.
Squadron leader Sindhu Reddy, who has served the IAF for over nine years and flies an Mi-17 helicopter which is considered the workhorse of the air force, led the all-male marching contingent of the IAF. Her contingent comprised 144 air warriors and four officers.
It was followed by motorcycle display wherein dare devils formed varied formations like yoga, signal fighter, signal rath, Abhimanyu, cluster of bird flying and pyramid.
The event concluded with a Rafale aircraft flying at 900 kmph carrying out several acrobatic turns, the singing of the national anthem and the release of tricolour balloons into the air.
Women were in the forefront throughout, be it in marching contingents or the tableaux presented. The naval contingent of 144 young sailors was led by 29-year-old Lt Cdr Disha Amrith as contingent commander and Lt Ashwani Singh, Sub Lt Priyanka Sharma and Sub Lt M Aditya as platoon commanders. Amrith is an engineering graduate in computer science from Karnataka and was, in 2008, a part of the NCC R-Day team. Her dream of leading the Republic Day parade came true on Thursday last. Another special feature of the naval contingent was that for the first time, it consisted of three women and six newly recruited male Agniveers.
In a first, the marching contingent of the CRPF, which has the distinction of raising the first-ever women-armed police battalion in the world, had all women personnel in the ranks. Also for the first time, BSF women soldiers in colourful uniforms, who have been deployed along the desert border with Pakistan, joined the parade as part of the camel contingent. The Delhi Police women pipe band comprising 35 women constables too was part of the parade and played the ‘Delhi Police Song’.
Lt Chetna Sharma from Army Air Defence Corps was part of the Akash missile defence system and saluted the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces, President Droupadi Murmu, as the DRDO-developed surface-to-air missiles went past the VIP gallery. Lt Dimple Singh Bhati jointly led the Corps of Signals’ Daredevil Team, which exhibited acrobatics on running motorcycles.
The theme adopted by various states and the paramilitary force was largely on ‘nari shakti’. The West Bengal tableau depicted Durga Puja in Kolkata and celebrated its inclusion in the Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Assam’s tableau showcased the legendary Ahom General Lachit Borphukan and its cultural landmarks, including the famous Kamakhya Temple. The Union ministry of culture, too, presented Shakti Rupena Samsthita tableau to celebrate the divine feminine, who resides in and empowers all living beings. Kerala presented the tableau on folk tradition of women empowerment that includes Kalaripayattu, a martial art with a more than 2000-year-old history, percussion and tribal traditions. The tableau from Tamil Nadu was also based on women empowerment and culture of the state, from the Sangam era to present day. The Navy’s tableau showcased India’s first passenger drone Varuna, which has been developed by a core team of women experts of a Pune-based defence startup.
