Farmers Movement Archive

A curtailed show: Many firsts mark Republic Day parade

NEW DELHI: The double force of biting cold and novel coronavirus couldn’t deter thousands of Delhiites from turning up at Rajpath for the restricted-but-joyous celebrations of the 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday. With the sun finally coming to their rescue, over 25,000 spectators became witness to several firsts in the R-Day parade — participation of Ladakh as a Union territory, thundering acrobatics by newly inducted Rafale jets to India’s first woman fighter pilot, Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth, taking part in the fly-past. The annual show of pageantry and military might was scaled down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the spectators were asked to observe strict social distancing and other safety norms. Owing to Covid, this was the the first time since 1966 that the parade didn’t have a chief guest. As India and Bangladesh celebrate 50 years of their ties since the latter’s liberation war against Pakistan in 1971, Indian Navy had a dedicated tableau depicting the attack on the Karachi harbour in 1971 while old Dakota planes used in the 1971 Indo-Pak war featured in the fly-past. Murals also depicted the surrender of Pakistan Army, a Petya-class ship and Operation X undertaken by divers of Indian Navy and Bangladesh’ Mukti Bahini, and some other ships that had taken part in the war. A 122-member tri-service contingent from Bangladesh also participated in the parade for the first time. The parade, led by Lt General Vijay Kumar Mishra, began around 10am as foreign dignitaries, ministers and politicians cheered from the visitors’ galleries. Continuing his practice of sporting traditional turbans on Republic Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore a red headgear with yellow dots, a Jamnagar turban gifted to him by its royal family. Though curtailed, with a shorter route that ended at National Stadium instead of Red Fort, the celebrations featured record numbers of fly-pasts and planes. The march began with the showering of flowers on the spectators by four Mi-17 helicopters in a wine-glass formation. Indian Army displayed its key machineries like battle tank T-90 Bhishma, infantry combat vehicle, Brahmos missile, and Pinaka multi-launcher rocket system. Indian Air Force (IAF) showcased Mi-17 V5, Chinook and Apache helicopters and Rafale jets. Thirty-two tableaux — 17 from states and Union territories, nine from ministries, departments and paramilitary forces, and six from the defence ministry — rolled down Rajpath depicting the country’s rich cultural heritage, economic progress and defence prowess. The daredevils on motorcycles, a major attraction every year, were, however, missing. After 10 formations of thundering aerobatics, the parade ended with Rafale fighter jets, inducted into IAF last year, flying at 900kmph and one of these carrying out a “vertical Charlie” formation. The jet went up vertically carrying out a series of rolls and giving a befitting salute to the motto of IAF, Nabha Sparsham Deeptam. After the agitation against Citizenship Amendment Act at Shaheen Bagh last year, this year’s parade coincided with the farmers’ protests at the capital’s borders against the newly passed central farm laws.

The Times of India

2021-01-27

Delhi