58 years ago... 26th January

Mansi · Jan 25, 2006

... one of the most important days in indian history

26th January 1947 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.
Today, Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential address to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country. Then, 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.
To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of 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.
The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. 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. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.
The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.

i got to be a part of the flurry of activity around the city... the rehearsals for the big big parade started on location about a week or two back... i attended the run thru's at 6 am on 2 days...
its 2.30 am now... i think people start lining up at 5 am at the 'india gate' for the parade... i am not going(viewing on tv is better:greenpbl: )... it is pretty spectacular!

here goes a few pics... let me remind you that the real thing is nothing compared to the pics... they have beautifully decorated floats from each state... traditional dances and music... a phenomenal air show by the airforce... and a whole lot of patriotism....

sorry for so many images!

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thanks everyone for looking

^Jai Hind^
haPpY RePUblic DaY all us IndiAns :hugs:

Peanuts · Jan 25, 2006

I have been waiting for you to post these

Another set of stunning images that could easily be used for magainzes or newspapers. You caught the atmosphere of the event so well, thank you so much for sharing a piece of your history and country.

JonMikal · Jan 25, 2006

extremely well captured Mansi!

thanks for sharing!

Big Mike · Jan 25, 2006

The first one....simple but powerful.

The uniforms look so tight...in the 3rd photo, it looks as though all the heads are too big and have been photo-shopped on.

Thanks for sharing.

Alison · Jan 25, 2006

Stunning Mansi, absolutely stunning. #3 really caught my eye. These are all well visualized and the colors are amazing. Fantastic job!

MommyOf4Boys · Jan 25, 2006

These are super!! #3 also stuck out with me as well - very powerful.

photo gal · Jan 25, 2006

Wonderful series Mansi! : )

Calliope · Jan 25, 2006

Absolutely excellent. I agree with the above that #3 really sticks out but ALL are exquisite! The colors are amazing and the compositions are perfect! Great work!