In all its colour, glory: The Republic turns 75

In all its colour, glory: The Republic turns 75

In all its colour, glory: The Republic turns 75 ByRahul Singh, New Delhi Jan 27, 2025 04:52 AM IST Share Via Copy Link India's 76th Republic Day parade showcased military might, cultural richness, and a flypast, attended by President Murmu and Indonesia's President Subianto.

India on Sunday put up a grand military spectacle, showcased its cultural richness and threw in a stunning musical extravaganza during the 76th Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path that packed in tens of thousands of people who soaked up every moment of the 90-minute celebration that featured several fighter jets, transport aircraft, attack helicopters, tanks, infantry combat vehicles, missile and rocket systems, soldiers on horseback, the much-loved Border Security Force camel contingent and band, and performances by 5,300 artistes.

Camel mounted contingent of Border Security Force (BSF) marches past the saluting Base during the Republic Day Parade 2025, at Kartavya Path, in New Delhi, India, on Sunday. (Arvind Yadav/HT)

The national flag was unfurled on the arrival of President Droupadi Murmu along with this year’s chief guest Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto — both arrived in a four wheeled carriage drawn by six horses, as the ceremonial battery of the army’s 172 Field Regiment sounded a 21-gun salute with the indigenous 105mm light field guns.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tribute to India’s fallen heroes at the National War Memorial, a monument dedicated to soldiers who fell in post-Independence wars and operations.

“A vibrant display of India’s unity in diversity. The magnificent parade showcased cultural heritage and military prowess. The vibrant tableaux represented the rich traditions of our states,” Modi wrote on X.

The parade, India’s biggest ceremonial event, was heralded by 300 artistes playing a variety of Indian martial musical instruments, followed by Mi-17-1V helicopters raining down petals on the rapturous crowds and setting the event’s tone.

The highlights of the parade included a 160-member Indonesian military marching contingent and a 190-member band contingent from that country, the debut of the indigenous Pralay surface-to-surface missile with a range of up to 500km, the new locally made Sanjay integrated battlefield surveillance system, a tri-services tableau depicting jointness and a dazzling performance by 5,000 folk and tribal artistes capturing the themes of youth power, nari shakti and artistic heritage.

The parade, led by Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar, General Officer Commanding, Headquarters Delhi Area, featured 18 marching contingents, 15 bands and 31 tableaux from different states, Union territories, ministries and the armed forces. What was unique this year was that a father and son took part in the parade. Lieutenant Ahaan Kumar, General Kumar’s son, commanded the mounted column of 61 Cavalry.

The weapons and equipment displayed by the army included T-90 tanks, BMP-II Sarath infantry combat vehicles, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, the Pinaka multi-launcher rocket system, BM-21 Agnibaan multiple-barrel rocket launcher, short span bridging system, and the Akash weapon system.

To be sure, Indonesia has been engaged in protracted negotiations with India on acquiring the BrahMos missile system. The two sides have reached a broad understanding on the pricing of the deal, expected to be worth around $450 million, as reported by HT. If the deal goes ahead, Indonesia will become the second foreign buyer of the missile after the Philippines.

The flypast featured 40 aircraft including fighter jets such as Rafales, Sukhoi-30s and Jaguars, C-130J special operations aircraft, the C-17 heavy-lifters, the AN-32 transport aircraft, Apache attack helicopters and Dornier-228 maritime surveillance planes.

“President Droupadi Murmu and the Chief Guest of 76th Republic Day, President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, witnessed the Republic Day parade which showcased Bharat’s socio-economic, technological and military prowess as well as the richness and diversity of its culture. Following the beautiful tableaux highlighting India’s civilizational heritage and reflecting citizens’ aspirations, a spectacular performance of traditional folk and tribal artists and impressive flypast enthralled the invitees and viewers,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan wrote on X.

The parade was witnessed by around 77,000 spectators, including 10,000 special guests in line with the government’s efforts to increase ‘Jan Bhagidari or people’s participation. These guests included sarpanches from top performing villages, disaster relief workers, forest and wildlife conservation volunteers, road construction workers, Anganwadi workers, best start-ups, patent holders and best performing beneficiaries of government schemes.

Foreign soldiers took part in the parade for the first time in 2016 when a French army contingent of 130 soldiers marched down Rajpath (now Kartavya Path). Then French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest that year. This was followed by a United Arab Emirates contingent in 2017, a Bangladesh army contingent in 2021 and an Egyptian marching squad in 2023.

The states and union territories that showcased their tableaux were Delhi, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Haryana.

Lieutenant Colonel Jas Ram Singh (retd), just shy of 90, was the oldest participant in the parade, which features soldiers decorated with the country’s highest gallantry awards --- the hallowed Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and the Ashok Chakra (India’s highest wartime and peacetime honours, respectively). Singh, born on March 1, 1985, was awarded Ashok Chakra for his heroism in a counter-insurgency operation in the North-east in October 1968. Kargil war heroes and PVC awardees Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav (retd) and Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar (retd) also took part in the parade.