The nation's military prowess, its rich culture and heritage, achievements in science and technology and other fields and also the aspirations of the people were once again reflected at the colourful parade held at Rajpath in New Delhi on the occasion of India's 53rd Republic Day. The parade, delving into the rich cultural past, depicting the prosperous present and visualising the promising future, represented the multi-faceted dimensions of India.

The 53rd Republic Day was celebrated throughout the country with aplomb and enthusiasm. The celebrations in the capital began at Amar Jawan Jyoti with Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee leading the nation in paying floral tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in defence of the country.

The President and the Supreme Commander of the forces, Mr KR Narayanan escorted by 46 of his bodyguards arrived at Rajpath along with the President of Mauritius, Mr Cassam Uteem who was the chief guest for this year's parade. Soon after his arrival, the President was given a 21-gun salute by the gunners of 81 Field Battery of 12 Field Regiment. The battery was commanded by Maj JS Bali. After unfurling the national flag, the President paid tributes to the soldiers who displayed exemplary courage while safeguarding their motherland from the envious enemy. Later, four Mi-8 helicopters, carrying the national flag and the ensigns of the Army, Navy and the Air Force were flying towards the saluting dais. The helicopters, commanded by Wg Cdr AK Pradhan, announced the beginning of the parade.

The parade this year was commanded by Maj Gen NS Pathania, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. He was followed by Brig Sudheer Kumar Uppal, Deputy General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. With the tune of Cavalry Brigade, the horse-mounted contingent of 61 Cavalry approached the saluting dais. The 61 Cavalry is the only surviving horse cavalry in the world today. The contingent was led by Maj Atul Gupta.

The 61 Cavalry was followed by DRDO's Nishant, an unmanned aerial vehicle. Nishant fulfills the requirements of battlefield surveillance, reconnaissance and damage assessment of the Indian Army. The aircraft has a flight endurance of five hours and can cruise at upto 125-150 km/hour at an altitude of upto 3600 mtrs with a range of 700 kms. Following it was Sarvatra, again designed and developed by DRDO. Sarvatra is a multispan mobile bridging system which can bridge canals or rivers upto a width of 75 metres within 100 minutes. This versatile equipment is capable of handling all military traffic including the heaviest tanks.

Next approaching the saluting dais was Agni-II which was the highlight of the parade. Agni-II is a state-of-the-art surface-to-surface intermediate range ballistic missile. It can carry a warhead of 1000 kgs over a distance of more than 2000 kms. Following Agni-II was the majestic columns of Pipes and Drums from Grenadiers, Rajput, Sikh Light Infantry and Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army. The contingent was led by Sub Maj RL Pun of Gorkha Rifles and the tune played was Shanane.

Next came an ex-servicemen contingent led by Sub Maj (Honorary Captain) N David. Following it was Border Security Force (BSF) contingent commanded by Deputy Cmdt Sunil Kumar. The camel-mounted band of BSF was led by Sub Inspector Hassan Khan. This smartly decked camel-mounted band is the only band of its kind in the world. It played the tune : hum hain seema suraksha bal. Following the BSF contingent was Assam Rifles, commanded by Capt SK Salaria. The Assam Rifles, aptly called the `Sentinels of the North-East', is the oldest para-military force of the country. It is deployed not only in farflung areas of North-East India but also in Jammu and Kashmir.

The next contingent that approached the dais was Indian Coast Guard contingent led by Deputy Cmdt S Bajpay. Following it was the CRPF Mahila Contingent commanded by Miss Shashi Negi, Assistant Commandant. The CRPF has two mahila battalions and has the rare distinction of raising the first para-military mahila battalion. It was followed by CRPF men contingent led by Mr Manoj Verma, Assistant Commandant.

The CRPF contingent was followed by Indo - Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) contingent led by Assistant Cmdt Pawan Malik. The ITBP was adjudged the best marching contingent among central para-military forces for three consecutive years in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Following it were the contingents of CISF, Railway Protection Force and Delhi Police commanded by Mr Rakesh Raja, Assistant Commandant, Mr Prithvi Raj Meena, Assistant Security Commissioner and Mr Anil Kumar Lal, Assistant Commissioner of Police respectively. Then came the Home Guards contingent commanded by Mr Ashok Tanwar. Raised in 1962, the Home Guards has the primary responsibility of serving the nation during natural and man-made calamities. It was followed by National Cadet Corps commanded by Senior Under Officer S Natarajan.

Then came the turn of National Service Scheme (NSS) contingent comprising 148 volunteers drawn from 138 schools and colleges and 71 universities from all over the country. The contingent was led by Miss Aman Preet Kaur. It was followed by the majestic columns of Pipes and Drums from the Bengal Engineering Group, Punjab Regiment, Sikh Regiment and the Army Medical Corps of the Indian Army. It was commanded by Sub Mukhtiar Singh.

Following the columns of Pipes and Drums came a series of tableaux depicting the diverse culture and heritage, flora and fauna and also the developments made by India in many a field. Leading the pageantry procession was a tableau of Assam titled ‘‘Rhythms of Assam". The tableau exhibited a musical known as Dhuliya Bhaona. "Bhagalpur silk" has been the theme of a tableau presented by Bihar. The theme was woven around Bhagalpur silk which has a place of distinction and pride in the realm of silk. Chattisgarh, in its tableau, depicted an old but dying craft of the tribes of the state - Dhokra.

The country's capital, Delhi focussed on communal harmony in its tableau titled phool walon ki sair. Goa depicted the various facets of Goan tradition and culture through its tableau titled Land of religious Harmony. The spectators were moved by the tableau of Gujarat which brought back the memories of the devastating earthquake that rocked the state on this day, last year. The tableau symbolised that the people of Gujarat overcame the bitter past and have started looking at the future with a gleam in their eyes. The tableaux presented by states like Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Mizoram depicted the tradition and culture of their respective states. Punjab this time has chosen medal gallery as the subject for its tableau titled Sheesh Mahal". Medal Gallery at Patiala in Punjab houses one of the largest collections of more than 3,200 Orders, decorations and medals. The collection covers a period of over seven centuries. Following the Punjab’s tableau came tableaux presented by various departments and ministries which presented their traditional themes.

Following the cultural pageant, little heroes riding on caparisoned elephants approached the saluting dais. These children including 12 girls and 13 boys have been chosen for national bravery awards for this year. Later, many cultural items were presented by various school-children from different parts of India. Then came a dare-devil feat by the BSF trick riders, aptly called Jan-Baaz. The spectators gave a thundering applause when they saw an extraordinary feat by 90 riders on 19 motorcycles, led by Sub Swadesh Singh Chundawat. Later, a fly-past by three Su-30s put the curtain down on the parade. Led by Sqn Ldr Saluja, the aircraft flew in a Vic formation at a height of 1000 ft and at a speed of 780 kms per hour. The Su-30 is a world class fighter having state-of-the-art features. The parade which articulated the aspirations of the people also showcased the awesome might of the nation.