From paintings, tableau to band performances, Vande Mataram will be theme of R-Day parade; Bhairav Regiment, Robots, Drone Shakti Will Be A Big Draw

NEW DELHI: This time, 150 years of Vande Mataram will be the theme of the Republic Day parade on Jan 26. A series of paintings created by Tejendra Kumar Mitra in 1923, illustrating the verses of ‘Vande Mataram’ and published in the ‘Bande Mataram Album’ (1923), will be displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path during the parade. Even band performances on the theme ‘Vande Mataram’ will be organised from Jan 19 to 26 by Indian Army, Navy, IAF, Indian Coast Guard, and other paramilitary forces in R-Day events across india. The performance venues will also include the ancestral home and birthplace of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay at Kanthalpara, Naihati, North 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, currently known as ‘Bankim Bhawan Gaveshana Kendra’. Even floral decorations at the parade dais will be based on the Vande Mataram theme.

Among the seven marching contingents of the Army, the centre of attraction will be the animal contingent comprising Zansker ponies, Bacterian camel and native Indian-bred dogs like Mudhol Hound, Rampur Hound and Rajapalayam with their handlers and the newly-raised Bhairav contingent.




Robotic mules and unmanned ground vehicles, Shaktiban artillery regiment, Brahmos cruise missiles, Akash missile, Drone Shakti and Glacier all terrain vehicles will be the key attractions in the mechanised columns. The Indian Army will be represented by a Mounted Column of 61 Cavalry & Battle Array Formation. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, will be the chief guests at the parade.

A total 18 marching contingents and 13 bands will take part in the show of the country’s military might on Kartavya Path. The flypast will showcase Rafale, Su-30 and MiG-29 fighters, P8i reconnaissance aircraft, C-295 tactical transport planes, Apache, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter), ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) and Mi-17 choppers in different formations.

Around 10,000 people from all walks of the society have been invited to witness the parade as special guests, including people with exemplary work in technology, innovation, start-ups, self-help groups, and best performers.

A total of 30 tableaux, including 17 from states and UTs, 13 from ministries, departments and services, will roll down the Kartavya Path this year. Among the central ministries, the ministry of culture's ‘Vande Mataram: The Soul-Cry of a Nation’ tableau will anchor the central theme, while the department of military affairs will present a tri-services tableau on Operation Sindoor, symbolising jointness. The veterans’ tableau by the IAF will certainly attract attention.

Themes blending tradition and innovation will dominate many displays. Odisha's ‘Soil to Silicon’ tableau will reflect growth rooted in tradition, Tamil Nadu will present India’s emergence as an EV manufacturing hub, and Kerala will highlight its Water Metro and 100% digital governance initiatives, and Nagaland's tableau will showcase the Hornbill Festival as a marker of culture, tourism, and self-reliance.
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