On the eve of the Republic Day, I am overwhelmed with memories of the parade that I was so fortunate to witness last year. The Republic Day Parade is an annual parade that takes place on January 26, in New Delhi. The Republic Day celebrations are held in all parts of India, but the most significant one is held in the capital. The celebrations start with the hoisting of the National Flag. This is followed by the parade of the armed forces and the school students. The vibrant procession starts from the Rashtrapati Bhavan through Rajpath. It enters the historic Red Fort. Before the parade begins, the Prime Minister of India lays a wreath at the Amar Jawaan Jyoti at India Gate.
Yes we will be celebrating Republic Day tomorrow. The Republic Day parade always used to fascinate me. There are one or two features of the parade I always look out for : One is the horse driven carriage. It used to be a grand affair, but I suppose due to security considerations the presidential baggi will be missing. Another is the performance by the school students - over the years they have formed a variety of items from flowers to yoga postures on the Rajpath. Finally of course are the state tableaux. Every state has its own unique show. You can depend on the Goa tableau to be full of happy beats and youth dancing to western music. Do write in with what you all like best about the Republic Day parade.
I like the fly past by the Indian Air Force. It is indeed a grand sight and then the balloons are released at the end of the ceremony.
For me, the Republic day of India will always be synonymous with the voice of Brig Chittaranjan Sawant who was the voice- over at Doordarsan, New Delhi. The timbre of his voice added to the solemnity of the occassion as the brave soldiers marched past and the tanks rolled by ..... A few years back, he was invited to my grand daughters school for some function and he spoke a few lines. I felt the magic of Republic day come alive as I listened to him. In addition to the lively Goa tableau, I keep an eye out for the impressive Central Public Works Department float, which is totally made of flowers.
Yesterday, we celebrated the 60<SUP>th</SUP> Republic Day of the Indian democracy. I had the privilege of being present in the crowd. Martyrs were honoured, bravery was saluted, and a vibrant show of military strength and cultural richness was displayed on the esteemed Rajpath. What I loved the most was the honour that was bestowed on the Dabbawalaas of Mumbai. They represented <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace>Maharashtra</st1lace> in the parade. Known best for their excellence in delivering lunch boxes, the Mumbai Dabbawalaas did Maharasthra proud once again when they represented the state in the prestigious Republic Day parade. In 1998, Forbes Global Magazine conducted an analysis and gave the Dabbawalaas a Six Sigma rating for efficiency.
Anandi, I agree with you! It was indeed heartwarming to see the Mumbai Dabbawalaas represent <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace>Maharashtra</st1lace>. The business community of Dabbawalaas is more than a hundred year old. They were drawn into limelight when Prince Charles met them during his visit to Mumbai. He invited them for his wedding in <st1:country-region><st1lace>England</st1lace></st1:country-region>. After getting the Six Sigma rating, they were also invited in international business schools to deliver lectures and share management tips with students. Fifteen Dabbawalaas were chosen for the presentation. They were trained in music and dance. Their performance touched everybody. It was indeed an honour towards the humble and diligent community on the Republic Day parade.
This was indeed an honour shown towards the hard working community of Dabbawalaas in the Republic day Parade. They represent the true spirit and essence of Mumbai. They work with the help of a unique coding system. This system is the backbone for their successful operations. Around five thousand Dabbawalaas carry tiffin to almost two lakh officegoers and students, everyday in Mumbai. The entire community has expressed their gratitude. According to Raghunath Medge, the President of Nutan Mumbai Tiffinbox Suppliers, this was a “dream come true”. He said that they had never had the opportunity of visiting the capital ever before. They were very thankful to the Government for the opportunity.
Mr Medge has also hoped that after this year’s Republic Day parade, their customers will respect them more and their business would flourish more with this prestige. It may be noted that Maharashtra has stood first for three consecutive years for their performance in the Republic Day parade. Maharashtra has also won the Vaijayanti Award. This year, the Chief Guest was Lee Myung Bak, the President of the Republic of Korea. Twenty one children got the National Bravey Awards this year. Two out of these twenty one awards were given posthumously. The recipients got the awards from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 21 but were part of the Republic Day parade.
The Republic Day parade is indeed the grandest of celebrations where every state participates showing off its culture and traditions through the scenes or jhhaankis. These scenes depict India's unity in diversity. Since my childhood, on every Republic Day, the TV is switched to DD from morning just for the live telecast of this parade. As children, we used to love the delicious jalebis sold in every nook and corner of our city. It is the same today as well with loudspeakers bursting to the tunes of patriotic songs.
