‘Macron was pleased’: When President’s buggy returned to duty after 40 years

After the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, the bulletproof limousines had replaced the buggy in the wake of security concerns.

Until then, Rashtrapati Bhawan officials told The Indian Express, Governor General C Rajagopalachari and the Presidents after him used it during ceremonial occasions, particularly the Republic Day, Beating the Retreat, and opening of Parliament (Budget Session).

Its use curtailed, the buggy would occasionally be driven, but only within the President’s estate, mostly during the reception given to ambassadors. Pranab Mukherjee and Ramnath Kovind used it for the Beating the Retreat ceremony though.

Around 2013, when the stables of the President’s Estate were turned into a museum, the horses and the buggies were transferred to the premises of the President’s Bodyguard, officials said. In 2017, the President’s Bodyguard, the senior-most regiment of the Army, sent the Noriker horses back to the Army’s Remount and Veterinary Corps.

Last February or March, Bodyguard officials said, orders came to explore resumption of the buggy. The task was clear: first, pull the buggy out from the garages, refurbish it, train the horses, and gear up for escort arrangements for an open ride by the President.

That’s when Paras and Prateek and the other Norikers, draft horses of Austrian gene pool, bred in India by the Remount and Veterinary Corps, were sent. According to officials, the Bodyguard now has two six-member teams of the horses, which are temperamentally suited for ceremonial purposes.

Work began soon. Withered over time, the six-feet-high buggy’s leather interiors were replaced, the brass fittings polished to pristine finish, and the suspensions fixed, officials said. With its deep Lotus pink furnishings, seven monograms of the Lion Capital in gold finish — three on each side, one on the rear — the buggy was all set for the Republic Day ride.

When asked how it felt when the buggy left the forecourt after 40 years, an official described it as “pretty satisfying”. “The 18 minutes of going to the parade venue and the 18 minutes of return, was the smoothest ride ever,” the official said.

Once the ride was over, President Murmu patted the horses, an official said. “She even fed Prateek, Shivaji and Niagra,” the official said, adding that even President Macron expressed his pleasure. “At the state banquet in the evening, the military staff was introduced to the state head, and President Macron expressed his pleasure and thanked the President’s Bodyguard.”

According to officials, the manpower for kitting the buggy or running it comes partly from the President’s Bodyguard, including the JCO who leads the buggy. The coach postilions, the two people who stand behind and get into action once the buggy moves or stops, are also responsible for opening the door. Behind them sits the coachman, along with the traditional red velvet and gold zari chhatri, officials said.

Among the most important things while running the buggy, an official said, was the brakes — the person who uses the brakes must be “very, very experienced”. Another aspect is the pairing of the horses, because if the pair doesn’t match, there’ll be trouble moving, the officer explained.

Even though the buggy was commissioned by the Viceroy of India during British rule, officials described it as “Made in India”. It was created more than a 100 years ago in Kolkata (then Calcutta) by a company called Stuart & Co, and the markings can still be seen on its wheels despite coats of brass polish over the years.

In fact, officials said, at the time of Partition, the Viceroy had two buggies — a gold one and a silver one. “As the Governor General’s Bodyguard was divided into two, a coin was flipped in the presence of India’s Major Thakur Govind Singh and Pakistan’s Captain Sahabzada Yaqub Khan to decide which buggy went to Pakistan. The toss decided that the gold one would be retained by India,” the official said.

Ever since, the official said, the buggy has been kept in shape. “For us, the buggy must always look new and pristine. It is the President’s buggy, carriage of the country’s First Citizen, and therefore, the signature of India,” he said.
“It has to be the best.”