R-Day parade dazzles foreign army officials

This,according to him,made the parade distinct from similar military displays in his own country. “The cultural side of the programme was entirely unexpected. We have military programmes in Japan too,but we do not hold such colourful cultural performances on the same platform,” he said.

Colonel Aoki’s daughter and infant son particularly enjoyed the Rajasthan contingent’s “royal march” on camels. “Even the band members were on camels. It was amazing,” said his wife. According to the couple,the children even cheered the cleaning staff who ran after the camels and horses,before the next contingents came along. “They shouted themselves hoarse. They also loved the Assam contingent. My daughter constantly cheered their leaders,who threw their swords in the air and caught them smartly,” she said.

Colonel Abdul Hafiz from the Afghanistan army said he had been looking forward to the double dose of Tagore in the tableaux performances. “I have read a lot about Tagore,and I enjoy his works. I had read in newspapers that tributes would be paid to him as this is his 150th birth centenary,so I was excited,” said Colonel Hafiz.

His only complaint was that his view was obstructed because of the rows of public in front. “I wish I could seats in front,then I could have got a better view. It was a stellar performance,” he said.

Marveling at the “excellent synchronisation” of the marching contingents,Colonel Hafiz said his favourite — by far — was the retired forces’ contingent. “They were led by an 87-year-old officer who had fought in the Second World War. It was an honor to see the enthusiasm of such a senior and experienced officer. We do not have the concept of a salute by retired forces in our country,” he explained.

The Afghani officer was all praise for the Dare Devils who performed “unbelievable stunts” on their motorcycles. “I have never seen the armed forces perform something like this. I loved the show,” he added.

The officers are part of a delegation of officers,who had come for a year-long programme at the academy last month. Colonel Ashraf and his family,from Bangladesh,said he loved the Bengali touch to the parade. “Both the Ministry of Culture and Railways paid homage to Tagore. So,we didn’t really miss a Bengal tableaux,” he said smilingly.

Stating that his young daughter was particularly fascinated by the air show,he said,“She was confused. She didn’t know what to focus on — the performance on the ground,or the one in the air,” he added.

Summing it up,the couple said that the show was unlike anything they had ever seen in their lives.