India's military prowess and achievements in different fields,
state-of-the-art defence platforms, its diverse cultural and social
traditions was put on diplay at the 66th Republic Day parade in New
Delhi on Monday.
Among the main attractions of the ceremonial parade were 25 colourful
tableaux representing India's cultural and linguistic diversity as also
signifying the vision of the future India as envisaged by the current
dispensation
16 of the tableaux belonging to the states and the union territories
represented the cultural and architectural wealth of the country, the
remaining nine were from various central ministries and departments
themed on 'Ma Ganga' to 'Yoga' among others.
A massive mechanised lion made out of gear-tooth wheels, symbolic of the
government's 'Make in India' policy or a mock-up of a high-speed bullet
train drew cheers from the crowd as they rolled down the majestic
avenue. Besides, the tableaux for 'Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana'
helmed by the Department of Financial Services, the Ministry of Women
and Child Development-led exhibit featuring live performances by women
themed on 'Beti Bachaho, Beti Padhao' campaign also won many hearts.
With "Women's Empowerment" being the theme of this year's Republic Day
parade, another attraction at the annual extravaganza was the
contingents of all-women officers of the three Services marching for the
first time on the Rajpath
With ‘women’s empowerment’ being the theme of this year’s Republic Day
parade, all-woman contingents of the three Services marched down Rajpath
for the first time, displaying ‘nari shakti’.
The Indian Army showcased a tableau of the first women officers’ team to
scale Mount Everest. Two women officers from the Army scaled the
highest peak in 2005 with Major Ashwini A.S. Pawar becoming the first
woman ‘Everester’ in the Army.
The Navy specifically focussed on the theme in its second tableau,
titled “Bharatiya Nau Sena aur Nari Shakti”, which represented the four
Navy women officers who participated in an ocean voyage from Goa to Rio
de Janeiro in Brazil on board ‘Mhadei’.
While Captain Divya Ajith led the Army contingent, the Navy contingent
was led by Lieutenant Commander Sandhya Chauhan and the Air Force
contingent by Squadron Leader Sneha Shekhawat. Each of the contingents
had 148 officers and cadets from the three Services.
Thousands of spectators gathered along the Rajpath and cheered in joy at
the two-hour-long parade showcasing the country's 'unity in diversity'
marched down in drizzle and overcast skies
US President Barack Obama was the Chief Guest of the
event becoming the first American President to attend India's parade.
In
a departure from tradition for the Chief Guest at the Republic Day
parade, US President Barack Obama arrived in his own highly-secured bomb-proof vehicle, 'The
Beast,'
New Delhi was wrapped in unprecedented security blanket as thousands of security
personnel kept a hawk's vigil in and around the Rajpath area. Obama was
seated next to Modi, donning a multicoloured 'bandhej safa'(turban), as
the two leaders chatted and enjoyed the annual spectacle. A smiling US
President was seen nodding in appreciation on several occasions.
Alongside Obama, the first US President to attend the celebrations, the
ceremonial parade was watched by his wife Michelle, Vice-President Hamid
Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the country's top political and
military brass, besides the diplomatic community.
A highlight of this year's parade was the display for the first time of
the recently acquired long-range maritime surveillance and
anti-submarine P-8I aircraft and the long-range advanced MiG-29K fighter
plane.
The synchronised military and police contingents led by General
Officer Commanding (Delhi), Lt General Subroto Mitra marched proudly to
the lilting tunes of bands through Rajpath where President and Supreme
Commander of the Armed Forces Pranab Mukherjee took the salute from a
specially erected dais
Before the commencement of the parade, Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh and Major
Mukund Varadarajan were posthumously conferred the highest peacetime
gallantry award Ashok Chakra by the President. Major Varadarajan and
Naik Neeraj Kumar laid down their lives while battling groups of
militants in separate operations in Shopian and Kupwara districts of
Kashmir respectively.
US President Barack Obama ‘breaks’ American, Indian traditions at R-Day function
US President Barack Obama on Monday broke the Secret Service’s sacred
security protocol by remaining in the open for more than two hours when
he graced the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as the Chief Guest.
He also departed from the tradition of accompanying the President of
India and preferred to be driven to the venue in his own multi—layered
bulletproof car ‘The Beast’.
Obama spent over two hours in the open as the Chief Guest of India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations.
The security guidelines of Secret Service, the exclusive agency
responsible for an American President’s security, mandate that he does
not spend more than 45 minutes at any open-air venue.
According to American media reports, the US President has never been on an outdoor event for more than 40 minutes.
Five firsts at Republic Day 2015
1)All-women contingents of the Army, Navy and Air Force march through Rajpath for the first time
2)The first time that a U.S. President is Chief Guest for the parade
3)The President and the chief guest arrived in different motorcades, a departure from the standard practice of arriving together
4)CRPF shows off Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) used in anti-Naxal operations
5)The long-range advanced MiG-29K fighter jet on display
Google Doodle on India's Republic Day Celebrations
To mark India's 66th Republic Day, Google continued with its tradition of posting a doodle on its India home page. This year's Google India's Republic Day doodle features a tableau showcasing India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan, two New Delhi landmarks that are symbolic of the Republic of India.
This is the fifth India Republic Day doodle that Google has posted on its India home page.
In 2014, the doodle featured Border Security Force daredevils motorcycle
riders in saffron, white, and green, performing one of their famed
balancing acts.
On India's 64th Republic Day in 2013, India's national animal the tiger
glared at you from Google India's home page and the symbol of the
Republic, India Gate, decorated the bottom left corner of Google's
Republic Day India doodle. The Google logo appeared as stripes on the
tiger's body. Lotus, India's national flower, also appeared in the
jungle-like motif surrounding the tiger.
In 2012 the Google doodle, commemorating India's 63rd Republic showed
National Bravery Award winning children riding on the backs of decorated
elephants, quite like the actual parade on Rajpath, New Delhi. The
Google logo appeared in rangoli-style in the background.
In 2010, the India Republic Day Google doodle depicted Republic Day
action in the air with fighter aircraft re-creating the Tricolour in the
sky with coloured smoke trails
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