India celebrates 72nd Republic Day |
The 72nd Republic Day was celebrated in India on 26th January 2021 with much gusto despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The usual ceremonial parade took place on the majestic Rajpath in the midst of the National Capital and President Ram Nath Kovind took the salute of the parade. The ceremony commenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the National War Memorial and paid solemn tributes to the fallen heroes by laying a wreath. The special highlights of this year`s parade included the Bangladesh contingent which joined India`s Republic Day parade. Flight Lt Bhawna Kanth, one of the first three female fighter pilots of the country, was also part of the Indian Air Force tableau at the parade. The parade also saw the first-ever tableau of the Union Territory of Ladakh. It showed Ladakh's culture and communal harmony besides its art and architecture, languages and dialects, customs and costumes, fairs and festivals, literature and music. The National Capital Region was turned into a fortress as it was brought under heavy security cover with the deployment of thousands of security personnel in central Delhi and several border points. A five-layer security cover has been deployed in and around the city to maintain law and order. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade route was shortened. The parade began from Vijay Chowk, and culminated at the National Stadium instead of ending at the Red Fort. This year, there was also no Chief Guest from any foreign country due to the pandemic. The Government also announced the Padma Awards on 25th January. Headlining the 7 persons receiving Padma Bhushan, the second highest civilian honour, is former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Others include sculptor Sudarshan Sahoo, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, and eminent Singer late S P Balasubramaniam. Padma Shri awardees included British film director Peter Brook and Greek Indologist Nicholas Kazanas among others. Colonel B Santosh Babu, the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar Regiment killed during the Galwan Valley clash with Chinese troops in 2020, is posthumously awarded Maha Vir Chakra.
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