This 26th January

The morning this 26th started with the boy who walks Appy and Tani ringing the bell. It was a sleep mode on and off, when the hubby called from outststion to tell me about an advertisement being on-air to which I had lend my voice. 

I switched on the television and was much before time for the Republic Day parade. The 73rd Republic Day celebrations were yet to begin. The NCR was foggy but the excitement rife. From childhood I have loved the celebrations and the paraphernalia attached to the Republic Day parade on the Raj path. 

Yes, I saw it all. As an armyman's daughter it still makes me nostalgic and proud. 

The PM at the Samar Smarak with the three chiefs of the armed forces, the commands of Amit Kr Rathi, the sounds of the last bugle and the two minutes silence made time stand still. Gave me goose pimples thinking of all the people who laid their lives for the country. 

A big mention for the President's bodyguards who have till date managed to hold my attention, my eyes glued to them, their commands, salutes and guard of honour. Once the President proceeded towards the saluting base, we were told about Virat, the charger(horse) who was due to retire from his services after taking part in 13 RD parades. Col Anup Tiwari rode him today, Virat's last RD parade. He is the first charger horse to get a commendation certificate. I really felt like giving him a nice pat and offering him sugar candies. 

The flag hoisting and the Jana Gana Mana again have always mesmerized me. 

It was heart- wrenching to see ASI Babu Ram's (Of the J&K Police) wife and son receive the Ashok Chakra(awarded posthumously), the head felt high to feel that our mother land has such gallant and courageous sons.  

Lt. Gen Vijay Kr Mishra was commanding the parade this yesr and Maj Gen Alok Kakkad was the second in command with him, starting the parade amidst showering of flower petals by helicopters. 

Was so proud to see the gallantry award winners next. I sat glued to the television set watching the guns, the armoury, helicopters and armoured tanks. I was like an awestruck little girl. 

It was heartening to see the Light Infantry contingent led by lady officer Manisha Vohra. The Navy brass band followed the contingent. Next was the Navy tableau depicting 1946 uprising. The Navy marching contingent by the way was led by Lt.Comm Aanchal Sharma. 

The Airforce band was good but the marching contingent was better. The tableau followed them. DRDO came in with 2 tableaux. Then came in the Coast Guards and following them was the CRPF band with 99 players. I loved the headgear of the CRPF contingent.

This was followed by the DPolice Band and marching contingent who are the winning marching contingent for 15 years.  

Then followed CISF band and marching contingent who were followed by the SSB band and the BSF Camel Band, the only one of its kind in the world with a place in the Guinness book of world records. The NCC boys and girls, NSS and the massed pipes band were all superb.

The tableaux as usual were the ones I wait for eagerly. There was one from Meghalaya, Gujarat, Goa(Fort Aguada), Haryana(sports), Uttarakhand(Hemkund/Badrinath), Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka(Handicrafts), J&K(changing face), Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh (depicting the Kashi-Vishwanath corridor), Punjab( Martyrs who laid their lives for independence), Maharashtra and from various ministries and government departments, and also of the CRPF and CPWD.  

Personally I liked the tableaux from Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, CRPF and CPWD. The gorgeous red sarees worn by the girls on the ministry of textiles tableau took my heart away.

The dancing contingent held everybody's attention to the end. I heard that it was a huge batch of participants who were chosen through different competitions held in different states. I salute the organisers who managed it all so beautifully.

I missed the Corps of Signals (my Dad's Corps) but the BSF Seema Bhavani Motorcycle Team led by Himanshu Sirohi were no less with the fish formation, aerobic, pyramids and what not. I watched them and ITBP bikers without blinking my eyelids, dumbstruck.

The flypast had to be the star of ceremonies this time with 75 aircrafts like 5ALH, Chinooks, Sarang, MI 35, Dakota, Dorniers, Transport aircrafts C 17 and C 130, AEW, Navy aircraft, Mig and Rafaels all flying just 60-80 metres above making formations like rahat, meghna, tiranga, aerohead, vinash formation and more. The flypast concluded with 17 Jaguar fighter aircraft flying in the 'Amrit' formation to commemorate the 75 years of Independence. The inflight videos recorded from the cockpits were amazing and breath-taking. 

Uff! Too nerve raising for me. 

My heart went out to the charger horse Virat who won't be seen next year. It was heartening to see the PM, the President and Rajnath Singh ji warming up to him, patting him, appreciating and acknowledging Virat.  

A 'virat' event ended with the Prime Minister walking on the Rajpath and waving to the spectators like the previous few years .

©®Madhumita