Republic Day 2019: Pageantry under a blue sky

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu along with Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief Of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa were seated alongside the two Presidents and the Prime Minister. Modi greeted former PM Manmohan Singh before the parade commenced.

The theme of this year’s Republic Day was ‘Life of Mahatma Gandhi’, with states representing aspects of his life through various tableaux. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was seen in the front row alongside Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

The parade started at 9.50 am with Parade Commander Lt General Asit Mistry of the Maratha Light Infantry and Parade Second in Command Major General Rajpal Punia, General Officer Chief Of Staff HQ Delhi, presenting the guard of honour to the President.

The wife and mother of the late Lance Naik Nazir Wani received the Ashok Chakra on his behalf. Wani was killed in a firefight in Kashmir.

The salute guard gave way to a grand display by the armed forces. From Tank T-90 and Hallway Machine Pilate to Surface Mine Clearing Systems, various tanks and mounted weapon vehicles made their way through cheering crowds, some of whom had been waiting since 4 am to grab a seat.

An all-women contingent of Assam Rifles. (Express photo: Praveen Khanna)

Lt Bhavana Kasturi became the first woman to lead an all-men Army Service Corps (ASC) contingent. Kasturi, a part of the 508 ASC Battalion, created history by leading the Corps, a wing that provides 70 per cent of the Operational Logistic Support for the Army. The all-women Assam Rifle contingent led by Major Khusboo Kanwar also participated for the first time in the Republic Day celebrations.

Soon, tableaux of all states made their entry, depicting stages of the Mahatma’s life. Maharashtra represented the Quit India Movement with Gandhi in the front, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands showed his brief period of imprisonment. Another key focus of the parade was Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Republic Day Parade 2019 at Rajpath in New Delhi on Saturday. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)

The second half of the parade was marked by performances from school children of government schools, and motorcycle stunts by security forces — from yoga asanas on a Royal Enfield to 33 officers making a pyramid on nine bikes. Captain Shikha, the only female stunt bike rider from the contingent, was seen saluting the President.

Four veterans, aged between 97 and 100, who were part of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, were driven in Army gypsies as the Indian President gave them a salute of honour.

The parade concluded with fighter jets and transport carriers zooming past the audience with speeds ranging from 150 km/hr to 900km/hr of the Sukhoi-30 fleet.

A media delegation of South African journalists excitedly hailed the ceremony as a mark of increased bonding between the two countries.