The tunes could not have been more symbolically apt. Almost an hour before French President Nicolas Sarkozy drove down Pariss Champs-Elysees avenue for the National Day parade today in an open armoured vehicle,the Indian military band that had been flown in specially for the occasion was playing kadam kadam badhaye ja,the inspirational quarter march tune composed by the Indian National Armys Captain Ram Singh in the 1930s. About a 100 metres down what is described as one of the worlds most beautiful avenues,French military drummers launched into a symphony that didnt seem to gel,albeit unintentionally. But Parisians seemed more keen to hear the Indian melodies and the French drums eventually went silent. Sare jahan se achcha was played much later,as the Indian military bands and marching contingents that led the historic parade for the first time came to the end of the 2.4-km trot. But by then they seemed to have captured the hearts of the tens of thousands of people who stood seven or eight deep and cheered the 400 Indian soldiers from the Maratha Light Infantry,the Navy and the Air Force as they marched in tribute to the sacrifices of their predecessors in the two World Wars. Not only was history being remade as the two militaries marched together on a bright summer morning but the two countries were also firmly stepping on the accelerator to boost their geostrategic ties. They are very elegant and colourful, said Eric Ange Pena,founder and publisher of champselysees.org,the official web site of the avenue. France invites troops from countries it has a special affection for on July 14 but there have been some instances in the past when some invitations became controversial with the French people as those countries policies have not been popular here. But everyone here likes India. The sprinkling of Indians in the crowd seemed to agree wholeheartedly. Accounts student Deepak Kumar and his electrician friend Seva Singh,both from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab,couldnt get enough. The French feel Indians are honest and hardworking, said Singh,who had the Indian Tricolour draped over his shoulder as he craned his neck to get a better glimpse of the band across the road. No one has any problems with indians. Plus they think we are all good with computer software. Every time there is a problem they think we can fix it. The bonhomie was evident between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sarkozy as well. Singh said the French Revolution,whose anniversary the National Day parade marks,was not just a defining moment in world history but also inspired the Indian freedom struggle. Sarkozy returned the compliment saying India was one of the worlds greatest democracies,a major power of the 21st century and its involvement is necessary in all major global matters. Indian officials said that the French had also gone out of their way to make the Indian soldiers comfortable. They sent two planes to fetch them from India and also went out of their way to ensure the soldiers got Indian food in Paris. But the significance of Singh being the first Indian Prime Minister to be the Chief Guest at a purely military parade was not lost as Paris put on an awesome display of its land and air forces for nearly two hours. On the eve of the parade,French newspaper Les echos wondered that Singh is probably more at ease at financial discussions than in front of the parade of tanks and infantry. Although Indo-French ties changed gears and took off only in the aftermath of the 1998 visit to India by president Jacques Chirac,embracing a wide gamut of areas,defence,nuclear and space co-operation have traditionally stood out for the deep bond between the two countries. While France has been in the lead to help end Indias nuclear isolation even before the United States stepped in,they have become the third largest military supplier after Russia and Israel and account for some of the biggest Indian military deals in the last decade. Today,France sees a potential 10 billion euros arms market in India which includes helicopters,fighter aircraft,an upgrade of 51 Mirage planes,and missiles for them. But the defence relationship has not been without hiccups as evident in the case of the bidding for the Eurocopter and doubts over whether the Rafale qualifies for the $10-billion combat aircraft contract. For now,Indian sources say that the Rafale will take part in qualifier tests while talks for the Rs 9500-crore Mirage upgrade begin on Wednesday and are expected to be wrapped up in months. Trade and mutual investment are also areas of concern as they are below potential. Trade was 6.78 billion euros in 2008 and the two countries aim to take it to 12 billion euros by 2012. France is the worlds sixth largest economy but is only the ninth biggest foreign investor in India. Even among Indias trading partners in the EU,it ranks fifth after Britain,Belgium,Germany and Italy. People-to-people contacts have also languished because of the traditional French cultural and linguistic exclusivism. The stress therefore is on greater interaction that leads to a familiarity between the two countries. And diplomats on both sides hope that the ties Singh and Sarkozy are building go significantly beyond military bands,arms and nuclear trade.
