India will celebrate the 73rd Republic Day.
New Delhi:
India’s military might, cultural diversity and various unique initiatives will be showcased as President Ram Nath Kovind leads the nation on Wednesday in celebration of the 73rd Republic Day .
The celebrations this year are very special as India is celebrating 75 years of Independence – celebrated as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
To mark the occasion, the Ministry of Defense has conceptualized a new set of events during the Rajpath parade and the ‘Defeat the Retreat’ ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Saturday (January 29).
The government has said that Republic Day celebrations will now be held for one week – from January 23 to 30 – every year. The celebrations now begin on January 23, the anniversary of the birth of the great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and end on January 30 – considered Martyrs’ Day.
According to the Ministry of Defense, for the first time, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will put on a grand show using 75 planes or helicopters.
A drone demonstration of 1,000 indigenously developed drones is planned for the ‘Beat the Retreat’ ceremony, along with projection mapping to be shown for the first time first.
In another first, 480 dancers will perform in cultural programming at the parade that has been selected through the nationwide Vande Bharatam dance competition.
The main parade will also see the launch of the National Cavalry’s ‘Shaheedon Ko Shat Shat Naman’ program and a display of ten rolls of paper each 75 meters long prepared during the ‘Kala Kumbh’ and installed 10 large LED screens for better viewing experience of the audience.
The parade at Rajpath will start at 10:30am, instead of 10am, to provide better visibility for the parade and flypast.
Special arrangements have been made to monitor the current COVID-19 situation. Spectator seating has been reduced significantly and people are being encouraged to register online to witness the celebration live.
“Only double-vaccinated adults / children 15 years of age and older who are vaccinated with a single dose are allowed to participate in the parade. Children under 15 will not be allowed,” an official statement read.
To see the Republic Day Parade and at the ‘Defeat the Retreat’ ceremony, several sections of auto rickshaw drivers, construction workers, safai karamcharis, and frontline medical staff will be invited. .
The Republic Day Parade will begin with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the National War Memorial.
Traditionally, the national flag will be raised, followed by the national anthem with 21 shots being fired.
The parade will begin with a salute by President Ram Nath Kovind. The proud winners of the highest chivalry awards will follow. It will be commanded by the Commander of the Parade, Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Mishra, Order of Ati Vishisth Seva, a second generation Army officer. Major General Alok Kacker, Chief of Staff of the Delhi Area will be the Second Commander of the parade.
A total of six Army operational reserve forces will be there including the Rajput Regiment, the Assam Regiment, the Jammu and Kashmir Light Regiment, the Sikh Light Regiment, the Armed Corps and the Parachute Regiment.
The theme of the operations will be a demonstration of the evolution of the Indian Army’s uniforms and armaments over the past 75 years.
The Navy team will include 96 young sailors and 4 officers led by Lieutenant Cdr Aanchal Sharma as Commander. Next is the Naval Tableau which is designed to showcase the multidimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy and highlight the key metrics of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will exhibit two iron balls, which represent the country’s defense technological advancements. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) marching force, led by Assistant Commander Ajay Malik, will also march over the welcome barrier.
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Boys’ Parade will be followed by animations of 12 Confederate States and Territories and nine Ministries and Bureaus, which have been prepared according to different themes in the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
In addition to military bands performing martial arts tunes, several new activities have been planned during the ‘Retreat’ ceremony on January 29. These include an aerial show rider and projection mapping.
