This year’s Republic Day celebrations will carry special significance, with the parade at Kartavya Path on January 26 themed around the 150th anniversary of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’.
Alongside
showcasing India’s military capabilities, the celebrations will place strong emphasis on the song’s historical and cultural importance.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said the milestone would be marked through a range of curated events and visual elements across the national capital.
He announced that the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will attend the Republic Day Parade as chief guests.
One of the key highlights will be a large-scale visual tribute to ‘Vande Mataram’ along Kartavya Path.
Paintings created in 1923 by artist Tejendra Kumar Mitra, depicting the verses of the song, will be displayed as view-cutters throughout the parade route. In addition, pan-India band performances centred on the theme of ‘Vande Mataram’ will be held from January 19 to 26 by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and central armed police forces, including special performances at Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s ancestral home in West Bengal.
The Republic Day parade will feature tableaux built around the themes ‘Svatantrata Ka Mantr – Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi Ka Mantr – Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
The central theme will also be reflected in invitation cards, floral arrangements and digital displays. Online competitions hosted on the MyGov and My Bharat platforms on ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ have seen participation from over 1.61 lakh people.
On the military front, the phased Battle Array Display is expected to draw attention, showcasing key defence platforms such as T-90 tanks, Arjun main battle tanks, BrahMos and Akash missile systems, MRSAM platforms, as well as drones and unmanned vehicles.
The parade will include 18 marching contingents and 13 bands, while the flypast will feature aircraft including Rafale and Su-30 fighter jets, Apache helicopters and Light Combat Helicopters.
Highlighting the inclusive nature of the celebrations, around 10,000 special guests from across the country have been invited to attend the parade.
These include para-athletes, farmers practising natural farming, transgender persons and individuals rehabilitated under the PM SMILE scheme, scientists and technical experts involved in major ISRO missions such as Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan, senior executives from companies supported under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, and scientists from DRDO working on critical defence projects.
