Republic Day Parade – History of Parade in India
- Gk Section
- Posted on
Republic Day Parade – 26 January Parade
The republic day parade is the main attraction of the Republic Day celebration in New Delhi every year.
The Republic Day Parade
Every year on January 26, Republic Day is commemorated. The iconic Republic Day procession with tableaus is presented at the Rajpath in New Delhi every year and the tales of the freedom struggle are recalled, independence and the creation and approval of the Indian constitution is commemorated for the national holiday.
Interesting Facts about the January 26 Parade
From 1950 to 1954, the event was not organised in Rajpath because Republic Day was held at Irwin Stadium, Kingsway, Red Fort, and Ramleela Maidan. Since then, Rajpath became the fixed location for the Republic Day celebrations.
Every year, the Prime Minister, President, or the head of every country is called or invited to India as a guest. Because of the current Covid-19 problem, no foreign visitors were called to summon the Republic Day Parade 2022.
The National Flag is saluted by the President’s cavalier bodyguards, followed by a firing of 21 cannons along with the singing of the Indian National Anthem.
There are no guns used in the 21 guns firing. Instead, the Indian army uses seven cannons, which are called 25 ponders, fires about three rounds. These canons are utilised in all the army’s formal programmes and they were built in the year 1941.
The gun salute firing takes place while the National Anthem is being played. At the start of the National Anthem, the first shot is fired, while the last shot gets fired once the national anthem ends, i.e., 52 seconds later.
The preparations for the Republic Day parade start in July and all the participants are officially notified that they have to participate in the event. Until August, they will practise parades in their separate locations. They will appear at the celebration in December to perform. The contestants had already put in 600 hours of training before the formal event.
Every event on January 26 is meticulously planned and executed, as any errors and even the slightest delay tends to cost the organisers dearly. According to sources, the event cost over 320 crores.
Every Republic Day, ‘Abide with me, a Christian song and ‘ Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite, gets played. According to an Indian Army pamphlet, this song was discarded this year to favour more Indian sounds.
On Republic Day, each group walks 9 kilometres. The judges decided that the ensemble deserved the ‘Best Marching Group.’
Every individual can witness the Republic Day tableau, that moves or runs at a speed of around 5 km/hour. These tableaus’ drivers drive via a little window.