India celebrates 66th R-Day in presence of US President

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee in the company of Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama watched the parade on the rain-soaked Rajpath, as the performers paid a colourful tribute to the nation and its identity as a democratic republic.

The  parade ceremony began after Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to the brave martyrs of India at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate and then headed for the Rajpath. Soon President Obama arrived at the venue with wife Michelle in his heavily fortified car Beast. The PM received him. The Indian President also arrived soon.

As per tradition, after unfurling of the National Flag, the National Anthem was played with 21 gun salute.

The parade  then commenced and the President took the salute. 

The parade was commanded by Lt. General Subroto Mitra, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. Major General Abhay Krishna, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area will be the parade Second-in-Command.

On the day, Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh (L) of 57 Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles (13 Rajputana Rifles), and Major Mukund Vardarajan of 44th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles were conferred the nation’s highest peacetime gallantry award Ashoka Chakra posthumously.

This time the security layer is unprecedented owing to the presence of Obama. There are seven layers of security with the deployment of 50,000 security personnel. Delhi has literally turned into a fortress as the US President is present.

Reports said  500 US Secret Service Agents are also present.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the Nation on Republic Day.

On this day, the Nation's military prowess and achievements in different fields, state-of- the- art defence platforms, its diverse cultural and social traditions, and the government's emphasis on self-reliance and indigenisation was showcased before the public at the historic Rajpath.

The highlights of this year’s Parade was the display of indigenously developed surface-to-air Akash medium range missile (Army version) and Weapon Locating Radar both developed by the DRDO. The recently acquired long range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft P-8I and the deadly long range advanced air fighter MiG-29 K will be seen for the first time. This year’s parade witnessed for the first time three all women marching contingents of the Army, Navy and the Air Force signifying women’s powerful role in the realm of defence.

The Indian Army’s laser guided missile capability T-90 “Bheeshma” tank, infantry combat vehicle BMP II (Sarath) followed by T-72 with Trawl was the main draw in the Mechanised Columns. These was followed by Pinaka Multiple Barrel Launcher System. Next came the Mobile Autonomous Launcher of BRAHMOS missile system, three dimensional tactical control radar, satellite on the move communication platform and rapidly deployable satellite terminal (RADSAT).

The marching contingents of Army included horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry, the contingent of all-women officers led by Captain Divya A, the Brigade of the Guards, the Grenadiers, the Jat Regiment, the Sikh Regiment, the Kumaon Regiment, the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, 14 Gorkha Training Centre and the Territorial Army (Punjab).

While the marching contingents of Navy comprising 144 young sailors was be led by Lieutenant Commander Sandhya Chauhan, the all-women Naval Contingent was be led by Lieutenant Commander Priya Jayakumar.

The Air Force contingent comprising 144 men was be led by Squadron Leader Manvender Singh, while all-women Air Force Officers contingent was be led by Squadron Leader Sneha Shekhawat.

The Paramilitary and other auxiliary civil forces included contingents from the Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Indian Coast Guard, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Railway Protection Force, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme. The Camel-mounted band of the BSF and the Ex-Servicemen marching contingent was be another major attraction.

An Indian Air Force tableau rolled down the Rajpath with the theme “50 years of 1965 War”. The IAF aircraft on display were the ones that proved their prowess in the 1965 War- the Gnat and the Vampire, followed by the Canberra bomber, MI-4 helicopter and Packet transport aircraft.

In keeping with the Indian Navy’s theme “Ensuring Safe Seas for a Resurgent Nation” – the Naval Tableau displayed a few of its frontline assets in all four dimensions of maritime warfare. Navy’s commitment to self-reliance and indigenisation was showcased by displaying models of indigenously constructed destroyer INS Kolkata launching a BrahMos missile with the Advanced Light Helicopter “Dhruv” in the background.

The second tableau titled “Bharatiya Nau Sena aur Nari Shakti”, which projected the extraordinary accomplishment of four of the Indian Navy’s women officers who braved the vagaries of the seas and participated in an ocean voyage from Goa to Rio-de-Janeiro in Brazil on board Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Mhadei.

Tableaux from 16 States and 09 Central Ministries and Departments was presented with the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country. They also showcased country’s progress in different fields, particularly floats from Women and Child Development Ministry depicting “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”, Sikkim’s contribution to the national economy through its large Cardamom Cultivation and tableau on Bhagoria tribal festival of Madhya Pradesh which was of special attraction.

Twenty of the Twenty four children selected for the National Bravery Award–2014 also participated in the parade. Four children have got the award posthumously. In the children’s pageant section, nearly 1,200 boys and girls drawn from four schools in Delhi and one each from West Zone and South Central Cultural Centres performed colourful dances on Rajpath. In this category a dance depicting India’s first successful launching of spaceship ‘Mangalyaan’ into the orbit of Mars and another dance programme on “Swachh Bharat” draw the attention of the spectators.

‘Jaanbaaz’, the motorcycle display by the Border Security Force was a major attraction of the parade. Incidentally, the paramilitary force now celebrated its Golden Jubilee. They performed different stunts like Border Men Salute, Side Riding, Ladder Balancing, Communal Harmony, Peacock Riding, Acrobat, Parallel Bar, Lotus, Seema Prahari and Flag March formations etc on moving motor cycles.

The grand finale of the parade was a spectacular flypast by the IAF. The flypast commenced with ‘Chakra’ formation, comprising three Mi-35 helicopters in ‘Vic’ formation, followed by the “Hercules” formation comprising three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. Trailing them was a ‘Poseidon’ formation comprising one P-8I aircraft flanked by two MiG-29 Ks and the “Globe” formation comprising one C-17 Globemaster flanked by two Su-30s.

Next in line was the fighters, where five Jaguars flew in Arrowhead formation, another five Mig-29 Air Superiority Fighters called the “Tridents” will fly in Fulcrum style. Then the breath-taking Trishul formation comprising three Su-30 MkI of No. 2 Squadron flew over the Rajpath, and once in front of the saluting dais, the Su-30 MkI aircraft split upwards, making a Trishul in the sky. The flypast concluded with another Su-30 MkI carrying out a “Vertical Charlie” manoeuvre over the saluting dais.

The ceremony culminated with the National Anthem and released of balloons.

Popular search engine Google marked India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations with a colourful tableau doodle featuring the majestic ‘Rajpath', the ceremonial boulevard leading from the Rashtrapati Bhawan through India Gate.