India held a colourful parade on Thursday to celebrate Republic Day, which is the anniversary of the day the country’s secular Constitution went into effect in 1950. The parade took place on a remodelled colonial avenue in New Delhi.
Several thousand people braved the cold on a foggy morning in New Delhi to watch the parade from seats along Kartavya Path, which means “path of duty.” Millions more watched on TV. The central ceremonial boulevard used to be called King’s Way when India was a British colony. The name was changed in September of last year.
Troops from the country’s military, border, and police forces marched in perfect sync to the dais where President Droupadi Murmu took the salute. Marching bands played in the background.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was the event’s most important guest, and 144 soldiers from the armed forces of Arab nations also took part.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief of defence staff, and the heads of the three services were also at the parade, which had more women in the military groups.
The rich and varied history of the country was shown in colourful tableaus from different states and ministries. The main theme, “nari shakti,” or women’s power, was emphasised.
India wants to become more self-sufficient in the defence sector, so all of the weapons on the army’s display table were made in India.
The highlight of the event was a flyby by 45 Indian Air Force planes. The French-made Rafales, Russian-made Su-30s, and Indian-made Tejas fighter jets put on a great show in the sky.
But the show was ruined by the fog, which made it hard for people to see the planes as they flew overhead.
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