Strong and steady down kartavya path

Strong and steady down kartavya path

IAF displays might with manoeuvres by Rafale jets and Su-30 MKI fighters Naval plane and Army helicopters complete the flight plan Motorcycle stunts, bands, marching contingents keep crowd entertained Seating capacity reduced to about 45,000 with VIP invitations cut.

The India story: (clockwise from left) Soft power, military might and women's leadership were on display as President Droupadi Murmu welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Republic Day function on Kartavya Path; Lt. Cdr. Disha Amrith leading the Naval contingent; women personnel make up the camel-mounted BSF contingent; proud CRPF women; and a gig in the sky with the indigenous NETRA Airborne Early Warning and Control System and a Rafale.

As India woke up to celebrate its 74th Republic Day, thousands turned up on the newly renovated and renamed Kartavya Path in New Delhi on a cold and cloudy winter morning to witness the Republic Day parade on Thursday.

The parade that always has something for everyone did not disappoint this year's gathering, a mix of men and women, senior citizens and children, students and working professionals, and vendors and daily wagers.

While the parade offered a range of attractions, including motorcycle stunts, various bands and marching contingents, tableaux, and cultural performance, for most visitors, it was the experience of witnessing the grand event live that was memorable. Vashisth Singh, 90, a retired assistant engineer from Ranchi, who had seen the parade on TV for years, said it felt ‘surreal’ to experience it sitting at Kartavya Path for the first time.

‘I've always wanted to experience this, there are so many memories attached to the Republic Day parade,’ he said.

Cloud cover

Though the parade started at 1 0.30 a.m., people started coming in even before first light as they wanted to grab the best seats. One particular event they were excited about was the fly past by 45 Indian Air Force aircraft, one from the Indian Navy, and four helicopters of the Indian Army.

However, the crowd was left disappointed as they could not witness the various manoeuvres in the sky above Kartavya Path by the Rafale, MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI fighters.

A resident of Ghaziabad, Vibha, 36, was excited to see the Rafale fighter jets. ‘We've only heard about it in the news. My children were really excited about seeing the fighter jets, however due to the weather conditions we couldn't,’ she said. Two students of Rashtriya Military College in Dehradun, Teluri Srujan, 16, and Sunand Kumar, 17, both residents of Andhra Pradesh, said that the marching contingents were the main attraction for them.

Heavy security

In view of ‘security threats,’ more than 7,000 police personnel and paramilitary forces including Delhi Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG), and Military Police were deployed at various points.

Special Protection Group (SPG) commandoes, responsible for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security, were also keeping a vigil across the venue.

Snipers were stationed at various temporary control centres. With a seven layer security cover, thorough frisking was carried out at each point. Various common articles, including pens, water bottles, umbrellas, and coins, were part of the banned-items list.

Entry was only permitted based on QR codes as all invitations and passes were moved online for the first time. Seating capacity was also reduced from more than 1 lakh to about 45,000 due to reorganisation of seating arrangements and a massive cut in the VIP invitations .