Delhi Republic Day parade
The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Rajpath, New Delhi. It is the main attraction of India's Republic Day celebrations, which last for 3 days.
The first parade was held in 1950, and it has been held every year since.
The parade marches from the Rashtrapati Bhawan along the Rajpath, until the India Gate. It opens with the unfurling of the national flag by the President of India. This is followed by marching from several regiments of the army, navy, and air force, along with their bands. Tableau from various states signifying their culture are displayed. A beating retreat ceremony signifies the end of the parade.
History
The first Republic Day Parade was held on 26 January 1950, during which the President of Indonesia Sukarno was the chief guest. The flypast of that parade included aircraft such as Harvards, Consolidated B-24 Liberators, Dakotas, Hawker Tempest, Spitfires and jet planes comprising a total of more than a hundred aircraft.Parade
To mark the importance of the Republic Day, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill Rashtrapati Bhavan, along the Rajpath, past India Gate. Prior to its commencement, the Prime Minister lays a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial to fallen soldiers at the India Gate at one end of Rajpath, which is followed by two minutes silence in the memory of fallen soldiers. It is a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defence of sovereignty of their country. Thereafter he/she reaches the main dias at Rajpath to join other dignitaries, subsequently the President arrives along with the chief guest of the occasion. They are escorted on horseback by the President's Bodyguard.First, the president unfurls the National flag, as the National Anthem is played, and a 21-gun salute is given as the PBG renders the National Salute. Next, important awards like the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra are given away by the President. This is followed by the regiments of Armed Forces starting their march past. The President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations. Children who receive the National Bravery Award ride past the spectators on colourfully decorated elephants or vehicles.
in 2004.
Nine to twelve different regiments of the Indian Army in addition to the Navy, and Air Force with their bands march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. Twelve contingents of various para-military forces of India and other civil forces also take part in this parade. One of the unique sights of the parade is the camel mounted Border Security Force contingent, which is the only camel mounted military force in the world. The best N.C.C. cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms. 22 to 30 floats exhibiting the cultures of the various states and union territories of India, including floats of union ministries and state enterprises are in the grand parade, which is broadcast nationwide on television and radio. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. Around 1200 schoolchildren present cultural dances as part of the parade. The 2016 Republic Day marked the return of K-9 Dog Squad to the parade after 26 years.
The parade traditionally ends with dare devil motor cycle riding display by motorcycle units of the Armed Forces and civil security services and a flypast by the Indian Air Force jets and helicopters. In 2019, the flypast included aircraft such as Su 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mig 29, C-17 Globemaster and HAL Rudra.
A full dress rehearsal parade is organised on 23 January every year.
Tableaux
The selection process of the tableaux is conducted by the Ministry of Defence, which involves a number of guidelines. The ministry recommends that tableaux represent a historical event, heritage, culture, development programmes and environment. The tableaux must not carry any logos and should carry some animation and sound.Proposals are invited from Ministries and departments of the Indian government, and from states and union territories of India within a fixed deadline. The proposals are examined by a committee of experts from arts fields. The examination process involves 2 rounds. The first round provides suggestions for modifications, after evaluating the sketches and designs. The second round evaluates three-dimensional models, after which a final judgement is passed by the committee.
Beating Retreat
The Indian Beating Retreat ceremony officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities. It is conducted on the evening of 29 January, the third day after the Republic Day. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military, the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The venue is Raisina Hills and an adjacent square, Vijay Chowk, flanked by the north and south block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan towards the end of Rajpath.The Chief Guest of the function is the President of India who arrives escorted by the Presidential Body Guard, a cavalry unit. When the President arrives, the PBG commander asks the unit to give the National Salute, which is followed by playing of the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, by the Army developed the ceremony of display by the massed bands in which Military Bands, Pipe and Drum Bands, Buglers and Trumpeters from various Army Regiments besides bands from the Navy and Air Force take part which play popular tunes like Abide With Me, National Song of India, Vande Mataram, Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn Vaishnava Jana To, and Saare Jahan Se Achcha at the end.
Chief guest
Since 1950, India has been hosting a head of state or government of another country as the state guest of honour for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. During 1950–1954, Republic Day celebrations were organised at different venues like Irwin Stadium, Kingsway, Red Fort and Ramlila grounds. It was only starting 1955 when the parade in its present form was organised at Rajpath. The guest country is chosen after a deliberation of strategic, economic and political interests. During the 1950s–1970s, a number of NAM and Eastern Bloc countries were hosted by India. In the post-Cold War era, India has also invited several Western leaders on a state visit during the Republic Day. It is notable that before India fought wars with China and Pakistan, leaders from these countries were invited as state guests for the Republic Day celebrations. The Pakistan Food and Agriculture Minister was the second state guest from that country for Republic Day in 1965, a few days after which the two countries went to a war. Countries which have been invited multiple times include India's neighbours, defence allies, trade partners and NAM allies. France has the distinction of being the guest of honour for the maximum number of times followed by four visits from Bhutan and three visits each from Mauritius and USSR/Russia.speaks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the parade, c. 2015.
In 2015, the US President Barack Obama was the Chief Guest at Republic Day celebrations, followed by French president François Hollande during the 2016 Republic Day parade. In 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan from the United Arab Emirates was the Chief Guest of the parade.
Guest contingents
In 2016, French Army soldiers and French Army Band took part in the 67th Republic Day parade. This marked the first time since the beginning of the parade in 1950, that a foreign army contingent marched down the Rajpath during the Republic Day parade.| Year | Country | Unit |
| 2016 | France | 35th Infantry Regiment |
| 2017 | UAE | United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard |
Awards
Best marching contingents
| Year | Best marching contingent among the three services | Best marching contingent among paramilitary forces and other auxiliary marching contingents |
| 1983 | 2 CHD BN NCC | |
| 1991 | Madras Engineer Group | |
| 1994 | Gorkha Regiment | |
| 1995 | Gorkha Regiment | |
| 1996 | Brigade of the Guards | |
| 1997 | Madras Engineer Group | Border Security Force |
| 1998 | Bombay Engineer Group | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| 1999 | Bihar Regiment | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| 2000 | Indian Air Force | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| 2001 | Madras Regiment | Delhi Police |
| 2002 | Indian Navy | Delhi Police |
| 2003 | Madras Engineer Group | Delhi Police |
| 2004 | Indian Navy | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| 2005 | Sikh Regiment | Delhi Police |
| 2006 | Bihar Regiment | Delhi Police |
| 2007 | Jat Regiment | Central Industrial Security Force |
| 2008 | Rajputana Rifles | Central Industrial Security Force |
| 2009 | Territorial Army | Central Reserve Police Force |
| 2010 | Dogra Regiment | Central Reserve Police Force |
| 2011 | Indian Air Force | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| 2012 | Indian Air Force | Border Security Force |
| 2013 | Indian Air Force and Indian Navy | Central Industrial Security Force |
| 2014 | Sikh Light Infantry | Central Reserve Police Force |
| 2015 | Brigade of the Guards and Sikh Regiment | Central Industrial Security Force |
| 2016 | Assam Regiment | Border Security Force |
| 2017 | Bihar Regiment | Central Industrial Security Force |
| 2018 | Punjab Regiment | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| 2019 | Gorkha Regiment | Central Reserve Police Force |
| 2020 | Indian Air Force | Central Industrial Security Force |
Best three tableaux
| Year | First | Second | Third |
| 1980 | Maharashtra | ||
| 1981 | Goa | ||
| 1983 | Maharashtra | ||
| 1988 | Goa | ||
| 1989 | Punjab | Goa | |
| 1990 | Goa | ||
| 1991 | Goa | ||
| 1993 | Maharashtra | ||
| 1994 | Maharashtra | ||
| 1995 | Maharashtra | Goa | |
| 2000 | Goa | ||
| 2001 | Rajasthan | Ministry of Railways | Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir |
| 2002 | Jammu and Kashmir | ||
| 2003 | Goa | Assam | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2005 | Karnataka | Department of Justice | Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ministry of Railways |
| 2007 | Odisha | Ministry of Culture | Maharashtra |
| 2008 | Kerala | Karnataka | Ministry of Human Resource Development |
| 2009 | Kerala | Maharashtra | Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir |
| 2010 | Ministry of Culture | Goa | Chhattisgarh |
| 2011 | Delhi | Karnataka | Rajasthan |
| 2012 | Ministry of Human Resource Development | Goa | Karnataka |
| 2013 | Kerala | Rajasthan | Chhattisgarh |
| 2014 | West Bengal | Tamil Nadu | Assam |
| 2015 | Maharashtra | Jharkhand | Karnataka |
| 2016 | West Bengal | Tripura | Assam |
| 2017 | Arunachal Pradesh | Tripura | Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu |
| 2018 | Maharashtra | Assam | Chhattisgarh |
| 2019 | Tripura | Jammu and Kashmir | Punjab |
| 2020 | Assam | Odisha and Uttar Pradesh |
Best tableaux among the Ministries and Department
| Year | Ministry / Department |
| 2020 | National Disaster Relief Force and Jal Shakti Mission |