Fog, rain no dampner

January 27, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 09:27 am IST - NEW DELHI:

Fog and intermittent rain played spoilsport during the 66th Republic Day Parade on Monday, where the country’s military might and colourful pageantry were witnessed by citizens sitting under umbrellas or drenched on the either side of the Rajpath.

As is custom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate and thereafter arrived at the parade. The restless crowd cheered even louder when the chief guest — U.S. President Barack Obama — arrived in his official car, ‘The Beast’, and was received by Mr. Modi. This was a slight departure from custom, where the chief guest usually arrives with the President.

At exactly 10 a.m. President Pranab Mukherjee arrived, escorted by his 46 bodyguards, all fine-looking and over six-feet tall men dressed in red and mounted atop horses. Soon enough came the 21-gun salute, the hoisting of the Tricolour with the National Anthem playing in the background.

Four MI-17 V5 helicopters came thundering in a ‘Y’ formation, most of it masked by the fog. They hovered awhile before showering pink petals, immediately cheering up the audience.

The parade began with Commander Lieutenant-General Subroto Mitra going by in an open jeep, followed by parade second-in-command Major General Abhay Krishna.

The 61st Cavalry Regiment, one of the few remaining horsed cavalry regiments in the world, was the first of the Army columns. This was followed by huge trucks and missiles which elicited whistles of appreciation from the audience before the country’s first-ever contingent of women officers to march at the parade came into view, led by Captain Divya A.

Among the other paramilitary and auxiliary civil forces, the BSF’s camel contingent and mounted band with all of its men over six-foot tall and sporting moustaches were an instant hit. Next up were the State tableaux, with the new State of Telangana’s ‘Bonaalu’ tableau getting more attention because of its rousing music and wild dance.

Then came the motorcycle display of the BSF, showcasing jaw-dropping stunts. Last up was the fly-past, the chakra formation, the Hercules and a host of other air-stunners which did not have quite the desired effect since most of the formations were masked by the fog. The final, gravity-defying vertical Charlie was also a disappointment as fog played spoilsport.

The curtain came down on the celebrations with the release of balloons.

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