73rd Republic Day  Highlights

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS

President Shri Ram Nath Kovind led the Nation in celebrating the 73rd Republic Day on January 26, 2022. Addressing the nation on the eve of Republic Day, President Shri Ram Nath Kovind said, “When we won independence, the exploitation of colonial rule had left us in utter poverty, but in seventy-five years, we have made impressive progress. New opportunities await the next generation. Our youth have taken advantage of these opportunities and set new benchmarks of success. I am sure that with this energy, confidence and entrepreneurship, our country will continue to march ahead on the path of progress and will definitely secure its rightful place, befitting its potential, in the global community."

HOMAGE AT WAR MEMORIAL

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi led the nation in paying solemn tributes to the fallen heroes by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. Thereafter, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries headed to the saluting dais at Rajpath to witness the Republic Day Parade. As per tradition, the National Flag was unfurled followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute.

Shaheedon Ko Shat Shat Naman

 At about the same time as Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid homage at the National War Memorial, Next of Kin (NOK) of approximately 5,000 fallen heroes were presented with the Plaque of Gratitude by NCC cadets all over the country as part of the nationwide flagship programme of NCC 'Shaheedon Ko Shat Shat Naman'. The programme will continue till August 15, 2022 during which the NCC cadets will felicitate the NOKs of all 26,466 fallen heroes whose names were etched at the National War Memorial.

Week-long Celebrations

It has been decided that the Republic Day celebrations will now be week-long from January 23-30 every year. The celebrations will commence on 23rd January, the birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and culminate on 30th January, which is observed as Martyrs' Day.

UNIQUE INITIATIVES

Cockpit View of Flypast

 In a first, spectators were able to view the stunning footage of the air show taken from cockpits of some of the Indian Air Force aircraft. The IAF had coordinated with public broadcaster Doordarshan to show in-flight videos. A magnificent bird’s eye visuals of different aircraft formations flying above the clouds were telecast and also shown on large screens installed at the parade venue. The videos are shared on the Twitter handle of the Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence (Spokes Person MoD).

Kala Kumbh - Huge Scroll paintings to adorn Rajpath

Ten scrolls each of 75 metres in length and 15 ft in height were displayed along the Rajpath during the parade. They were prepared during the 'Kala Kumbh' event jointly organised by Ministries of Defence & Culture.

 Vande Bharatam Nritya Utsav

For the first time, dancers who performed during the cultural programme at the parade were selected through a nation-wide competition 'Vande Bharatam', jointly organised by Ministries of Defence and Culture.

Veer Gatha

 In another first, Ministry of Defence in collaboration with Ministry of Education organized nationwide 'Veer Gatha' competition to motivate school students to do projects on gallantry award winners. More than eight lakh students from around 4,800 schools across the country participated and shared their inspirational stories through essays, poems, drawings and multimedia presentations. 25 winners were declared.

Static Band Performance by CAPF

Before the commencement of the parade, the contingents of Central Armed Police Forces undertook static band performances in the seating enclosures at Rajpath.

COVID safeguards

No foreign contingent participated in the parade this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only double vaccinated adults/one dose vaccinated children of 15 years and above were allowed entry at the parade. Children below 15 years of age were not permitted. All social distancing norms were followed and wearing of mask was compulsory.

Special spectators

Special arrangements were made to give opportunity to those segments of society which usually do not get to watch the parade. Some sections of auto-rickshaw drivers, construction workers, sanitation workers and frontline health workers were invited to watch the Republic Day Parade.

THE PARADE

The parade commenced with President Shri Ram Nath Kovind taking the salute. The parade was commanded by Parade Commander, Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Mishra, Ati Vishisth Seva Medal. Major General Alok Kacker, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area was the Parade Second-in-Command. The parade commanders were followed by the proud winners of the highest gallantry awards. They included the winners of Param Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra.

Indian Army Contingents

First in line was the 61 Cavalry led by Major Mrityunjay Singh Chouhan. The 61 Cavalry is the only active serving horse Cavalry regiment in the world. The 61 Cavalry was followed by 14 Mechanised Columns, six marching contingents and a fly past by Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) of Army Aviation. One Tank PT76 & Centurion (On Tank Transporters) & two MBT Arjun MK-I, one APC TOPAS & BMP-I (On Tank Transporter) & Two BMP-II, one 75/24 Towed Gun (On Vehicle) & two Dhanush Gun System, one PMS Bridge and two Sarvatra Bridge System, one HT-16 (On Vehicle) and two Tarang Shakti Electronic Warfare System, one Tiger Cat Missile and two Akash Missile System were the main attraction in the mechanised columns. A total of six marching contingents of the Army participated in the parade.

Past to Present: Soldiers' Uniform and Weapons

The marching contingents displayed the evolution of uniform and personnel weapon of Indian Army over the last 75 years. The contingent of the Rajput Regiment wore the uniform of Indian Army of 1947 and carried the .303 Rifle. The Assam Regiment wore the uniform of 1962 and carried .303 Rifles. The Jammu & Kashmir Light Regiment was in the uniform worn during 1971 and carried 7.62mm self loading Rifle. The contingent of the Sikh Light Regiment and the Army Ordnance Corps wore the present day uniform with 5.56mm INSAS Rifle. The contingent of the Parachute Regiment donned the new Combat Uniform of Indian Army, unveiled on January 15, 2022 and carried the 5.56mm x 45mm TAVOR Rifle.

Indian Navy Contingent

The Naval contingent comprised 96 young sailors and four officers led by Lt Cdr Aanchal Sharma as Contingent Commander. This was followed by the Naval Tableau which designed with the aim to showcase the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy and highlight the key inductions under 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. The forward part of the tableau depicted the Naval Uprising of 1946, which contributed in India's struggle for independence. The rear section illustrated the 'Make in India' initiatives of the Indian Navy from 1983 to 2021. A model of New Vikrant was flanked by models of indigenously designed and built warships.

Indian Air Force Contingent

The Indian Air Force contingent comprised of 96 airmen and four officers and was led by Squadron Leader Prashant Swamyanathan. The Air Force tableau was titled 'Indian Air Force, Transforming for the Future'. The tableau showcased scaled down models of MiG-21, Gnat, Light Combat Helicopter and Rafale aircraft, as well as the Aslesha radar.

DRDO Tableaux

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) displayed two tableaux, signifying the defence technological advancements of country. The tableaux were titled 'Suite of Indigenously Developed Sensors, Weapons and Electronic Warfare Systems for LCA Tejas' and 'Air Independent Propulsion System' developed for the submarines of Indian Navy. The first tableau displayed an indigenously-developed Advanced Electronically Scanned Array Radar; five different aerial launched weapons and an Electronic Warfare Jammer to further enhance the capabilities of fourth generation LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas. The second tableau showcased indigenously-developed AIP System for propelling the Indian Naval submarines underwater.

Contingent of ICG, CAPF and Delhi Police

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) contingent with the theme 'Ready, Relevant and Responsive' was led by Deputy Commandant H T Manjunath. This was followed by the marching contingents of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), led by Assistant Commandant Ajay Malik; 15 times winner of best marching contingent, Delhi Police, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat; Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commanded by Assistant Commandant Mohnish Bagree; Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) led by Deputy Commandant Nirupesh Kumar and Border Security Force (BSF) Camel Contingent headed by Deputy Commandant Manohar Singh Kheechee also marched past the saluting dais. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Boys marching contingent, comprising of 100 Senior Division cadets, was led by Senior Under Officer Rupendra Singh Chauhan of the Punjab Directorate. Senior Under Officer Pramila of Karnataka Directorate headed the NCC Girls marching contingent, consisting of 100 Senior Wing Cadets drawn from all 17 Directorates. The marching contingent of National Service Scheme (NSS), comprising of 100 volunteers, was headed by Baraiya Siddhi Ramesh from Diu Union Territory, Ahmedabad Directorate.

TABLEAUX

12 States/Union Territories and 9 Ministries/Departments showcased their tableaux on various themes under 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'. The tableaux was followed by cultural performances by 480 dancers chosen through 'Vande Bharatam' and a motorcycle display by Seema Bhawani Motorcycle Team of BSF and Himveers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

THE FLY PAST

The grand finale and the most spectacular segment of the parade, the Fly Past, for the first time, witnessed 75 aircraft/helicopters of the Indian Air Force displaying a number of formations, as part of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'. Vintage as well as current modern aircraft/helicopters like the newly acquired. Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi17, Sarang, Apache and Dakota displayed different formations, including Rahat, Meghna, Eklavya, Trishul, Tiranga, Vijay and Amrit. The ceremony culminated with the national anthem and the release of Tri-colour balloons. For the first time IAF coordinated with Doordarshan to show cockpit videos during the fly past.

 (Source : PIB/SpokesPersonMoD-Twitter)