From indigenous defence tech to vaccines, Republic Day parade covers varied themes

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic protocols, India’s Republic Day parade at Rajpath showcased the progress made in indigenous defence technologies with the display of the Main Battle Tank of the Indian Army, the T-90 Bhishma, Infantry Combat Vehicle Ballway Machine Pikate (BMP-II) – Sarath, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the Brahmos Missile system, Pinaka Multi Launcher Rocket System and Samvijay Electronic Warfare System.

The parade, which marked the 72nd Republic Day celebrations, consisted of 32 tableaux representing various states and UTs, ministries, government departments and paramilitary forces. Six tableaux represented the Ministry of Defence in the ceremony, which was held following strict pandemic protocols.

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One of the highlights included the contingent of the only active serving horse cavalry regiment in the world, the 61st Cavalry, led by Captain Deepanshu Sheoran. The Indian Army was represented by a Mounted Column of the 61st Cavalry, seven mechanised columns, six marching contingents and a fly-past by Rudra and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters of the Army Aviation.

The Naval contingent was represented by 96 sailors and four officers led by Lieutenant Commander Lalit Kumar as Contingent Commander and was followed by the Naval tableau titled ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ showcasing the 1971 attack on Karachi harbour.

Meanwhile, the Air Force contingent included a tableau showcasing the scaled down models of Light Combat Aircraft, Light Combat Helicopter, Su-30 MK-I aircraft and Rohini radar, among others.

Seventeen tableaux from states such as Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Punjab, Tripura, West Bengal, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh were also part of the parade.

From the Sun Temple at Modhera in Mehsana district of Gujarat to the ‘Tea-tribes’ of Assam and from the ‘Shore Temple’ and other monuments of the Pallava Dynasty in Tamil Nadu to the ‘Bhakti Movement’ & Saints of Maharashtra, the tableaux displayed various themes showcasing the geographical and cultural diversity of the country.

The Union Territory of Ladakh made its R-Day debut with a tableau showcasing its ‘Vision’ to become carbon neutral, while Uttar Pradesh’s tableau displayed the under-construction Ram Mandir and was designed on the theme -- Àyodhya : Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh.

Tableaux from ministries and government departments highlighted various policies and initiatives such as Digital India, the Four Labour Codes, Vocal for Local and One Nation, One Sign Language, among others. The Department of Biotechnology displayed the process of Covid-19 vaccine development under the theme AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan: COVID.

While 400 school children participated in the R Day parade with various cultural performances , the parade culminated with Rafale aircraft flying at a speed of 900 kilometres per hour carrying out a ‘Vertical Charlie’.