Following are the sidelights of
the Republic Day celebrations:
The majestic Rajpath saw a scintillating display of India's military might and resplendent cultural diversity as the country celebrated its 68th Republic Day today, with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attending the event as guest of honour.
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It was for the first time, a contingent of the National Security Guard (NSG), popularly known as the Black Cat Commandos, was part of the march past. They were given a rapturous round of applause by the spectators as they marched down Rajpath singing the NSG song "Hum haina haina hindustan" penned by renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.
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Colourfully bedecked camels, a contingent of the Border Security Force (BSF), used for patrolling in the Thar Desert region in Rajasthan and Gujarat, strolled down the ceremonial boulevard as bandsmen riding their backs played martial music.
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A major highlight of the parade was 149-member marching contingent from UAE comprising personnel from Presidential Guards, the Air Force, the Navy and Army. They were led by a band consisting of 35 musicians from the Arab country.
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Schemes and campaigns of the Central government such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Skill India, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna and Clean India Green India were some of the themes of tableaux at the 68th Republic Day parade here. A total of 23 tableaux were on display with 17 of them belonging to various states and Union Territories.
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India's ingenuously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas made its debut at the Republic Day Parade fly past, with the new kid on the block leading the fighter planes in air force's armour.
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A major attraction of the parade was the marching of India's only mounted Cavalry with its majestic horses.
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Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest of the parade and was seated next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wore a pink colour 'safa' (turban). The two leaders were seen sharing some light moments.
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After seeing off President Pranab Mukherjee and Nahyan, the Prime Minister, took a walk on the Rajpath and greeted people who had lined up the ceremonial boulevard to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister.
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Children who won the National Bravery awards drew cheers from the audience at the 68th Republic Day parade here as they passed through the Rajpath in open jeeps.
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Rain failed to play spoilsport for the excited visitors who braved the morning chill to make it to Rajpath to watch the parade.
Even though the cloudy morning led to hazy views of the "Flypast", one of the sought-after sequences in the parade, the programme drew large round of applause and cheers from the audience which gave standing ovation to various performances.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
