Politics

India’s military might, cultural prowess on display at 73rd Republic Day

New Delhi, Jan 26 (EFE).- India Wednesday celebrated the 73rd Republic Day with a grand display of military might and a parade of colorful floats showing cultural prowess of the country on the iconic Rajpath (King’s Way) boulevard in New Delhi.

Thousands of spectators had turned up amid Covid-19 restrictions to witness the display on the Rajpath that connects the epochal India Gate to the Presidential Palace in the heart of the national capital.

The 73rd Republic Day parade was symbolic since it coincided with the 75th anniversary of independence from the British empire in 1947.

The celebrations were held across the country as tens of thousands turned out to watch the national flag unfurled and parades by police and armed forces as well as children at their colorful best.

The biggest spectacle of all was at the Rajpath boulevard, where the country’s Who’s Who assembled to watch the immaculate parade of India’s military prowess and cultural heritage.

Watched by thousands on the streets and millions on television, the parade wound its way over eight kilometers from the Raisina Hills, with the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan as its backdrop, to the 17th century Red Fort.

The armed forces carried out the “grandest and largest” flypast in the history of the Republic Day celebration by flying 75 combat aircraft with the demonstration of dozens of units and special commands for the event.

Fifteen Jaguar planes lined up in the sky to form the number 75 in commemoration of the 75 years of independence.

Shivangi Singh, the country’s first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot, was a real head-turner.

Singh was part of the Indian Air Force tableau at the parade.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, members of his cabinet, and parliamentarians attended the event with approximately 5,000 spectators.

For the second consecutive anniversary, India celebrated the day without a foreign guest of honor after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled his participation last year due to the worsening pandemic crisis in the United Kingdom.

The event took place amid the third wave of the coronavirus, fueled by the spread of the Omicron variant.

The authorities allowed only fully-vaccinated people to witness the parade with face masks on.

At the event, Prime Minister Modi wore a cap from Uttarakhand, and a draped a stole from Manipur, the two states headed for polls next month.

Republic Day marks the date when India unveiled its constitution. EFE

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