Today, this twenty-sixth day of January, we celebrate our Republic Day. A significant day in our lives, this day marks 2 important beginnings in this country's fight against British power. This day was supposedly selected to be the Independence day of India after our great leaders negotiation process and the Ahimsa movement by Gandhiji. But dates kept delaying and thus, our Independence was finally granted on - you guessed it right - 15th August, 1947.
The other important beginning this day marks is shown in the Preamble of our constitution. As written in it, " In our Constituent Assembly, this twenty-sixth day of November 1949, do hereby adopt enact and give to ourselves this Constitution." So its clearly stated here that the Constituent Assembly of India was adopted on the 26th of November, 1949. yet, it was only properly accepted on 26th January, 1950. You know, due to important paper-work and sorts.... (seems the habit of delaying Government work has been in practice since the early years of our Independence!)
Today, the Republic day parade was broadcasted live from Janpath Road, overlooking the wondrous marvel of architecture, the India Gate. Defence minister A.K. Anthony was escorted to India Gate where the martyrs were paid homage by playing the Bugle. The great torch was lit, and a wreath place on the Black Marble-stone. A. K. Anthony was then handed the visitors book, in which he penned his thoughts and emotions he experienced after paying homage to the martyrs at the India Gate. His views are now one amongst the views of many great leaders and personalities.
It was then time for the ministers holding important portfolios to arrive at Janpath Road for the proceedings to begin. Smt. Pratibha Patil arrived with the chief guest of the occasion, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. Ministers like Lalu Prasad Yadav, L.K. Advani, P. Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee were among the VIPs that arrived.
Then the events started with the various Awards like Ashoka Chakra, ParamVeer Chakra, etc. In lieu of the recent Mumbai terror attacks, brave Police men like Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar and two other Police men were awarded the Ashoka Chakra. Their awards were accepted by their wives.
The march was an exciting one. In the beginning, the various award winners saluted the President of India on Jeeps. Then the various regiments followed. Their perfect synchronized movements were a wonder in their own. The regiments that particularly caught my eye were the Maratha regiment, 61st regiment(their bright coloured turbans), Rajput regiment( on camel-back) and the Jatt regiment. Their valour and courage are an example to the world. Then the various missiles, tanks, aircrafts and helicopters exhibited their talent. (Not the missiles, no! They would have created havoc and wide-spread destruction!)
Then there were moving exhibitions of the various States. Their bright and vibrant display caught the attention of one and all, even a few foreigners who looked on in awe though bogged down by the merciless heat! Then there were exhibitions on India's research and excellence in a wide variety of fields. The DRDO and ISRO exhibitions were eye-catching stalls that clearly stated the amount of pains the respective organizations for this one-day event.
Finally, the march ended with a display by the human pyramid formations on bike and a stunning display put up by the Air Force. All this while, the main attention was on Smt. Pratibha Patil, the President of India. She was saluted by all the participants that walked the long road. This day might be one of the unforgettable days of her life!
All in all, a fine show put up by all the organizers and the men and women involved in it to make the morning a memorable one. This show was a display to one and all, featuring to many the perfectionist outlook of the country and the various accomplishments of it. The very citizens of this country were awe-struck at the superb display. The army and the air force's display was an encouragement to hundreds of young children possessing a fresh mind and heart. It might have, for certain, put an ambition in the children to grow up to be an army officer or an airforce pilot. After all, as Gandhiji said, " The children of the country are the greatest treasures in its possession."
We hope that the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan was and is highly impressed with India and the varied culture, heritage, power, arms and ammunitions and the ambitions of this country!
I would like to end this post with a strong slogan - Bharat mata ki Jai!!!
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