Nation celebrates Republic Day: Women power on full display at Republic Day parade; Capt Tania Shergill leads all-men marching contingent; 65 women bikers showcase their acrobatic skills
Published by
Archive Manager
Jan 26, 2020, 01:01 pm IST
26-year-old Captain Tania Shergill created history, leading an all-men contingent during the parade
The nation is celebrating the 71st Republic Day today. The Republic Day ceremony was organised at Rajpath in New Delhi. President Ram Nath Kovind unfurled the national flag and took the salute of the parade. President of Brazil Jair Messias Bolsonaro was the Chief Guest at the Parade this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to martyrs at the National War Memorial, instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti. The National Flag was unfurled followed by the National Anthem with a booming 21-gun salute.
India’s military might, cultural diversity, social and economic progress were on display during the 71st Republic Day celebrations at the majestic Rajpath. Anti-satellite weapon – Mission Shakthi developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Army’s battle tank Bhishma, infantry combat vehicles, Air Forces’ newly inducted Chinook and Apache helicopters, in addition to tableaux depicting Akash and Astra missiles and Navy’s prowess were showcased during the 90-minute long parade.
Twenty tableaux – 16 from States and Union Territories and six from various Ministries/Departments depicting the nation’s rich cultural heritage and economic progress rolled down the Rajpath. School children conveyed age-old message of yoga and spiritual values through dance and music and Indian Air Force aircraft will thunder in the sky projecting the airpower.
The proud winners of the highest gallantry awards, including the winners of the Param Vir Chakra and the Ashok Chakra. Param Vir Chakra winners Subedar Major & Honorary Captain Bana Singh (Retd), Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers and Subedar Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK Rifles and Ashok Chakra winners Major General Cyrus APithawalla (Retd), Lieutenant Colonel Jas Ram Singh (Retd), Lieutenant Colonel D Sreeram Kumar and Naib Subedar (Honorary) ChheringMutup (Retd) followed the Deputy Parade Commander on Jeeps. The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for the most conspicuous act of bravery and self-sacrifice in the face of the enemy. The Ashok Chakra is awarded for similar acts of valour and self-sacrifice but, other than, in the face of the enemy.
The first contingent in the uniform of the erstwhile Gwalior Lancers was 61 Cavalry led by Captain Deepanshu Sheoran. The 61 Cavalry is the only active serving horse cavalry regiment in the world. It was raised on August 01, 1953, with the amalgamation of six state forces’ cavalry units.
The Indian Army was represented by a Mounted Column of 61 Cavalry, eight mechanised columns, six marching contingents and fly-past by Rudra and Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters of the Army Aviation. 26-year-old Captain Tania Shergill created history as she led an all-men contingent during the 71st Republic Day parade
Indigenously-developed Main Battle Tank of the Indian Army, T-90 Bhishma, Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) Ballway Machine Pikate (BMP)-II, K-9 VAJRA-T, Dhanush Gun System, newly-inducted five-metre Short Span Bridging System, Sarvatra Bridge System, Transportable Satellite Terminal and Akash weapon system were the main attraction in the mechanised columns.
The other marching contingents of the Army included the Parachute Regiment, the Grenadiers Regiment, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, the Kumaon Regiment and the Corps of Signals. The Combined Band of the Armoured Corps Centre & School, Madras Engineers Group & Centre and Artillery Regimental Centre, the Combined Band of 11 Gorkha Rifles Regimental Centre, 39 Gorkha Training Centre, Kumaon Regimental Centre and Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre also marched past the saluting dais.
The contingent of the Corps of Army Air Defence was marching for the first time on Republic Day. It was followed by The Combined Band of Combined Band of Bengal Engineers Group & Centre, Brigade OF Guards Training Centre, 3 Electronics & Mechanical Engineers Centre and Madras Regimental Centre.
The Naval contingent comprised of 144 young sailors led by Lieutenant JitinMalkat as Contingent Commander. It was followed by the Naval Tableau titled ‘Indian Navy – Silent, Strong, and Swift’. The fore part of the tableau showcased the might and firepower of Navy in all three dimensions, while the next part exhibits the Navy’s commitment to nation-building.
The Air Force contingent, comprising of 144 air warriors, was led by Flight Lieutenant Shrikant Sharma. The Air Force tableau showcased scaled-down models of the Rafale aircraft, the Tejas aircraft, the Light Combat Helicopter, the Akash Missiles System and the Astra Missiles.
The Veterans’ tableau, marking the recognition and respect to the soldiers’ selfless service to the nation, showcased the theme ‘Force behind the Force’.
One of the main highlights was the marching contingent of DRDO that showcased Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASAT) – Mission Shakti. ASAT (Anti-Satellite) weapons play a critical role in providing the necessary strategic deterrence. Mission Shakti, India’s first Anti-Satellite (ASAT) mission, was a major breakthrough in demonstrating the nation’s Anti-Satellite technology. The second equipment of DRDO was the Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR) used for volumetric surveillance, detection, tracking and friend/foe identification of aerial targets of different types and transmission of prioritised target data to multiple command posts/weapon systems.
The Indian Coast Guard marching contingent was led by Deputy Commandant Gaurav Sharma. The motto of the Indian Coast Guard is ‘VayamRakshamah’ meaning ‘We Protect’.
The contingents of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police and Border Security Force (BSF) also marched past the saluting dais. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Boys Marching contingent was led by Commander Junior Under-Officer Charandeep Singh Bhaduria, NCC Directorate Uttar Pradesh, while the Girls contingent was headed by Senior Under-Officer Shreeshma Hegde, NCC Directorate, Karnataka & Goa. The National Service Scheme (NSS) contingent comprising 148 volunteers also took part. The Massed Pipes and Drums Band of the Indian Army was also on display.
Sixteen tableaux from various states/union territories were showcased during the parade, depicting the geographical and rich cultural diversity of the country. Six tableaux from different ministries/departments were also on display, showcasing various far-reaching reforms of the Government including ‘Startup India’, ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojna’ and ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’. The glorious past and vibrant future of the Kolkata Port Trust was the theme of the tableau of Ministry of Shipping.
The proud winners of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar followed in Jeeps. The children were conferred the award for exceptional achievements in the fields of bravery, social service, art and culture, sports, innovation and scholastic. It was followed by children’s pageant comprising over 600 participants. The cultural show was led by Arvind Gupta DAV Centenary Public School, Model Town, Delhi on the theme ‘Yog – Vishwa Shakti ki Ore’. ‘The Baul’, a group of mystic minstrels from the historical Bengal region, was the theme of Vinay Nagar Bengali Senior Secondary School, Sarojini Nagar, Delhi. The children from Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya B-Block, JanakPuri, New Delhi performed on the theme ‘Mharo Rang Rangilo Rajasthan’. West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur presented ‘Garba – the folk dance of Gujarat’.
For the first time, a contingent of women bikers of CRPF performed daredevil stunts. The contingent was led by Inspector Seema Nag who was seen saluting while standing atop a moving motorcycle. The bikers performed several daring acts on moving bikes before a human pyramid on multiple motorcycles bring up the rear.
The grand finale and the most keenly awaited segment of the parade, the Fly Past was comprised of the ‘Trishul’ formation by three ALH helicopters. It is for the first time that a “Tri-service Formation” is taking part in the Republic Day Parade. It was followed by the ‘Vic’ formation of Chinook helicopters, used for airlifting diverse loads to remote locations. Apache helicopters, Dornier aircraft, C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, Netra, an Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft and the ‘Globe’ formation comprising three C-17 Globemasters were some of the other highlights. Five Jaguar Deep penetration strike aircraft and five MiG-29 Upgrade Air Superiority Fighters in ‘Arrowhead’ formation enthralled the audience before the exhilarating Trishul manoeuvre by Su-30 MKIs. The parade culminated with a Su-30 MKI splitting the sky with a breath taking ‘Vertical Charlie’ aerobatic manoeuvre.
The ceremony culminated with the national anthem and the release of balloons.
Leave a Comment