On June 9 when President Pranab Mukherjee leaves Rashtrapati Bhavan to address the joint sitting of Parliament, he will do so seated regally in the six-horse drawn buggy known as the ‘President’s Coach’.
In January this year, the President’s House revived the old tradition of using the buggy for ceremonial occasions.
After a hiatus of nearly two decades the traditional carriage was put to use when President Mukherjee drove out in the buggy to attend the Beating Retreat ceremony on Vijay Chowk.
According to sources, the President’s Secretariat has decided to again use the coach made from teak wood and handcrafted leather seats.
The practice of using the coach was discontinued following security concerns. Barring a few occasions in the past when Presidents used the buggy to tour Rashtrapati Bhavan, it was only in January this year that the black and gold coach was taken outside the heavily fortified precincts.
On June 9, the President’s coach will be escorted by the mounted regiment — the President’s Bodyguard — as President Mukherjee heads out to address a joint session in the Central Hall of Parliament to list some of the policy initiatives that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government will pursue.
