Happy Republic Day!!! 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 🇮🇳
I know that Republic Day is over in India, but it’s still January 26th here in the United States.
I just want to keep this post a little short compared to all my other ones and just take the time to wish you all (especially viewers from India) along with sharing some changes in the parade this year due to covid restrictions.
How Do We Celebrate Republic Day?
To keep this simple, the most grandest celebration for Republic Day occurs at Janpath, New Delhi, where the President of India hoists the flag at the India Gate.
Other than the flag, these are some other highlighting traditions followed during a Republic Day celebration.
“The Prime Minister of India honours the martyrs by putting a ringlet at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. It’s followed by a 21-gun salute, national flag hoisting, and national anthem. Awards are presented to the brave soldiers in the form of Paramvir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, and Vir Chakra. Even children and general citizens who have displayed courage in times of adversity are honoured with awards.”
Stated On Times of India
The reason behind celebrating this on January 26th is that the constitution of India came into effect on January 26th, 1950 under the vision of Dr. BR Ambedkar.
How The Pandemic Altered This Year’s Parade?
- No Foreign Leader as Chief Guest
This will be the first time in roughly 5 decades where India is hosting a Republic Day parade without a foreign leader as Chief Guest.
I was able to find a list of all the Chief Guests that have attended the parade since 1950 and I have linked that article below 👇
List of all Chief Guests on Indian Republic Day Parades (1950–2021)
Some stand out names include Nelson Mandela (1995), Barack Obama (2015), Vladimir Putin (2007), Queen Elizabeth II (1961), and more…
- Social Distancing
Along with the politicians & band members, the elite NSG commando who normally march shoulder to shoulder actually marched with 1.5 meters from each other.
Also, only about 40% of the actual commandos marched today so that they could lower any chance of spreading the virus.
- Less Seats
Since all seats were at least 6 feet apart, there was no other choice than to reduce the overall number of the seats.
But, they opened more entry gates (224 gates instead of 198 gates) so that they could avoid any possibility of people overcrowding in any gate or area.
- Age Restrictions
Since children are really vulnerable to the virus along with the fact that there isn’t a vaccine for those who are under 18, this year’s parade has made restrictions to only allow teenagers who are only above the age of 15.
- No Spectators
With a large population of over a billion people, there was no possible way of allowing people to park their vehicles and watch the parade from a distance.
However, the YouTube live stream is actually trening #1 a few hours back which shows that lots and lots of people are watching.
For more 👉 How the COVID-19 pandemic will impact this year’s Republic Day parade
Live Steam + Key Timestamps
Here’s a YouTube Livestream of the Parade by Doordarshan National 👇
If you don’t wish to watch the entire video (it’s 3 hours long!), I have put some important timestamps that you could skip to so that you could witness the important moments.
Flag Unfurling: (1:00:03)
Army Influence: (Starts from 1:09:30)
NSG Commandos: (1:35:45)
Cultural Floats: (Starts from 1:41:50)
Rafale Aircraft: (2:37:45)
Question of the Day: Have any of you guys seen the parade in-person? If you have, please share your experiences in the comments section below.
Peace Out!!!
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Happy Republic Day 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
LikeLiked by 2 people
Happy Republic Day 🇮🇳
LikeLiked by 2 people