Delhi Republic Day parade

President Rajendra Prasad (in the horse-drawn carriage) readies to take part in the first Republic Day parade on Rajpath, New Delhi, in 1950.

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.[2]

The unique BSF Camel Contingent during the annual Republic Day Parade in 2004.

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 (the President's residence), along the Rajpath, past India Gate.[3] Prior to its commencement, the Prime Minister lays a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial 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 India, as well as in UN peacekeeping operations and disaster relief work abroad. 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. 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, either in military, civilian or disaster scenarios. This is followed by the regiments of Armed Forces starting their march past, led by the parade commander and his second in command, followed by living receipents of gallantry medals of the Republic. Following the march past of the armed forces follows the march of personnel belonging to the federal security organizations and the Delhi Police, which marches also on behalf of all territorial, state, city and municipal police forces. Children who are recipients of the National Bravery Award ride past the spectators on colourfully decorated elephants or vehicles.[4]

An overview of the 55th Republic Day Parade from India Gate 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.[5] 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.[6] Around 1200 schoolchildren present cultural dances as part of the parade.[7] The 2016 Republic Day marked the return of K-9 Dog Squad to the parade after 26 years.[8]

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.[9] In 2019, the flypast included aircraft such as Su 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mig 29, C-17 Globemaster and HAL Rudra.[10]

A full dress rehearsal parade is organised on 23 January every year.[11]

Tableaux

The tableau of Kerala passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 69th Republic Day Parade 2018, in New Delhi on 26 January 2018

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.[12]

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.[12]

Beating Retreat

See also: Military Music Wing, Indian military bands, Indian Army Chief's Band, Deshon Ka Sartaj Bharat, and Samman Guard

The Band performing at Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk on 29 January 2018.

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 (President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath.

The Chief Guest of the function is the President of India who arrives escorted by the Presidential Body Guard (PBG), 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.[13][14][15]

Mostly, after Republic Day Celeberations Schools and Colleges Observe Holiday on 27 January.

In 2016, French Army soldiers and a 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	Notes	Photo
2016[16]	France	35th Infantry Regiment	The Regiment was accompanied by the French Army Band.
2017[17]	UAE	United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard	A 149-member contingent from the Presidential Guard, as well as the 35-member United Arab Emirates Armed Forces Band.[18]
2021[19]	Bangladesh	Bangladesh Armed Forces	A 122-member team took part to honour the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War.[20]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Republic Day Parade (India).

• Republic Day (India)
• Rajpath
• Beating Retreat
• Military parade
• List of diplomatic visits to India
• List of chief guests at Delhi Republic Day parade
• 2021 Farmers' Republic Day violence

1.^ On each of these occasions, Lady Edwina Mountbatten from United Kingdom was also the official guest for the parade.[40][41]

2.^ Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip also accompanied Queen Elizabeth II during the parade.[42]

3.^ Danish Prime Minister attended Republic Day in Madras (Chennai).[43]

4.^ No invitations were sent out possibly due to the demise of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on 11 January 1966 in Tashkent. The new government headed by Indira Gandhi was sworn on 24 January 1966 (only two days before the Republic Day).[44]

5.^ For the first time, the President of India (Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan) could not take the salute at the Republic Day parade due to ill-health.[45] Zahir Shah arrived on 28 January.[46]

6.^ Attended only the Beating Retreat[47][48]