The 74th Republic Day celebrations will take place on the revamped Central Vista avenue this year. The Central government has put 32,000 tickets on sale online for the masses, said defence ministry officials on Wednesday.
They said that all official invites for the ceremonial event will be sent online for the first time, according to the news agency PTI.
A 120-member military contingent from Egypt will also be taking part in the celebrations, officials added.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in November.
This will be the first Republic Day celebrations hosted at the ceremonial boulevard after Rajpath was renamed to 'Kartavya Path' last year. A dress rehearsal for the parade was held on Wednesday.
Besides, 23 tableaux -- 17 from states and Union territories, and six from various ministries and departments, -- depicting the nation’s rich cultural heritage, economic and social progress and strong internal and external security will roll down the Kartavya Path during the ceremonial parade, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
A presentation on Republic Day celebrations will be held from January 23-31. It was made on Wednesday after a press briefing by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane at the South Block here, as per PTI reports.
The Republic Day celebrations will be held in a spirit of greater 'janbhagdari' (public participation) and workers of Central Vista project and their family members, maintenance workers of Kartavya Path, vegetable vendors, milk booth workers, grocery shopkeepers and rickshaw-pullers will be "special invitees", the officials shared during the presentation, and these special invitees will be prominently seated at the Kartavya Path.
"Before Covid-19, over a lakh people used to attend the Republic Day celebrations, which was drastically cut in the immediate years following the outbreak of the pandemic in India (in early 2020). This year about 42,000 people are expected to attend it and 32,000 tickets for seats at the event have been put online, and the response from people have been good," the senior official said.
He also said that new bleachers and retractable seats have been put up in the lawns of the Kartavya Path, and with more space between two seats, PTI reported.
In addition, 32 officers and 166 cadets from 19 countries are expected to participate in the 74th Republic Day celebrations, according to details shared in the presentation.
The celebrations will begin with a grand event on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23 and go on till Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary (January 30), the defence secretary said.
Aramane told reporters that the celebrations this year have been planned reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'janbhagidari'. The celebrations will also be a tribute to INA veterans, people and tribal communities who participated in freedom movement.
Many new events are being organised as part of the Republic Day celebrations this year. These include a military tattoo and tribal dance festival; Veer Gatha 2.0; second edition of Vande Bharatam dance competition; performances of military and coast guard bands at the National War Memorial; an all-India school band competition at NWM; a drone show and projection mapping during the Beating the Retreat ceremony, the ministry added.
Over 1,200 performers are fine tuning their art forms each day in rehearsals with their unique and colorful costumes, headdresses, musical instruments and rhythmic dance beats.
The traditional dance forms to be presented during the main event include Gaurr Maria, Gaddi Nati, Siddi Dhamal, Baiga Pardhoni, Purulia, Bagurumba, Ghusadi, Balti, Lambadi, Paika, Rathwa, Budigali, Songimukhawate, Karma, Mangho, Ka Shad Mastieh, Kummikali, Palaiyar, Cheraw and Rekham Pada, the statement read.
The Indian armed forces will also showcase horse show, khukuri dance, Gatka, Mallakhamb, Kalaripayattu, Thang-ta, motorcycle display, air warrior drill, Navy Band's performances and martial arts. Twenty tribal dance troupes from all across the country will perform during the military tattoo event. Approximately 60,000 spectators are expected to attend the event, it said.
The grand finale will showcase a performance by noted singer Kailash Kher. The entry for the event will be free and tickets can be booked online through a portal.
(With PTI inputs)
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First Published:
25 Jan 2024, 07:06 AM IST
