Tri-Service Contingent, Pilots, Musicians: How 75th Republic Day Parade Celebrated 'Nari-Shakti'. Top Points

Republic Day 2024 Parade: For the first time, the march was led by 100 women playing musical instruments such as the 'Sankh,' 'Nadaswaram,' and 'Nagada'.

Republic Day 2024 Parade: India celebrated its 75th Republic Day on Friday, with an emphasis on the themes of 'Nari Shakti' and 'Viksit Bharat'. For the first time, the march was led by 100 women playing musical instruments such as the 'Sankh,' 'Nadaswaram,' and 'Nagada'. An all-women tri-service contingent marched by the Kartavya Path during the parade as well. During the Indian Air Force's fly-past, a group of about 15 female pilots captivated the crowd, symbolizing the might and prowess of 'Nari Shakti.'

Key Points

• On Republic Day morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respects at the National War Memorial, officially kicking off the 75th Republic Day celebrations. After leading the country in paying homage to the departed soldiers by laying a wreath, PM Modi and other dignitaries proceeded to the saluting dais at Kartavya Path to watch the parade.


• The arrival of India's President Droupadi Murmu and her French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, was accompanied by the President's Bodyguard, 'Rashtrapati Ke Angrakshak'. The President's Bodyguard is the Indian Army's most senior regiment. 


• According to tradition, the National Flag was unfurled first, followed by the National Anthem, which was accompanied by a resounding 21-gun salute from the indigenous 105-mm Indian Field Guns. This was followed by 'Aavaahan', a band performance by over 100 female performers playing various sorts of percussion instruments to represent Nari Shakti.


• The 18 successful youngsters, holders of the renowned Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, participated in Republic Day festivities by travelling in jeeps along the Kartavya Path on Friday.


• A total of 1,500 women took part in this year's parade, out of which, 199 were from tribal communities. 


• Squadron Leader Rashmi Thakur, a fighter controller, led the Indian Air Force's marching group at the 75th Republic Day parade on January 26 at Kartavya Path in New Delhi. In addition to the IAF marching group, the parade featured a tri-services troop of women known as Agniveer Vayu. The contingent consisted of 48 Agniveer Vayu.


• During the aerial fly-past, fifteen women IAF pilots flew a variety of platforms, including Tejas and SU 30 MKI combat planes and the freshly inducted C-295 transport aircraft.


• Two female aircrew piloted the C-295 cargo aircraft. The C-295 is a transport aircraft that was just admitted into the IAF and will be built in India.


• The theme for the IAF tableau was "Bharatiya Vayu Sena: Saksham, Sashakt, Atmanirbhar".


• The Republic Day fly-past featured 51 Indian Air Force aircraft, including 29 fighter planes and 13 helicopters.


• On Friday, the world's only serving cavalry regiment, led by the Indian Army, marched along the Kartavya Path in New Delhi to commemorate the 75th Republic Day. Major Yashdeep Ahlawat commanded the Army's 61st Cavalry.


• The cavalry was followed by DRDO's indigenously developed tank destroyer, the T-90 'Bhishma'. The indigenous medium-range Pinaka Multiple Rocket Launcher System, planned, produced, and built locally, came after the armoured vehicles.


• The cavalry was followed by 11 mechanised columns, 12 marching contingents, and the Army Aviation Corps' Advanced Light Helicopters flying overhead.


• Manipur, which has been embroiled in ethnic strife since May of last year, featured a unique Imphal-based women-only market in its Republic Day tableau on Friday. The tableau also depicts a woman picking lotus stems from the state's Loktak Lake, one of the biggest bodies of water in the country's northeastern area.


• Women from the CRPF, BSF, and SSB demonstrated the country's Nari Shakti (women power) by performing risky exploits during the motorbike demonstration. Over 260 women displayed their courage, valour, and tenacity in various formations such as Chandrayaan, Sarvatra Suraksha, Abhivadan, and Yog Se Siddhi. 


• The Republic Day parade in 2024 had 16 tableaux representing states and union territories, as well as nine from union ministries and departments.


• The following states and union territories had tableaux on display: Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana.