<p>Women's empowerment, the rich legacy of India's celebrated bard Rabindranath Tagore and universal adult franchise will be among a panoply of themes on Republic Day this Thursday as 23 tableaux get set to trundle down Rajpath here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The tableaux, representing various states and ministries, will vie for spectators' attention as they roll out, offering a kaleidoscopic view of India's cultural mosaic, its military might and economic strength.<br /><br />"This year, we have 23 tableaux representing 13 states and 10 ministries, departments and agencies of the Indian government," said Dhananjay Mohanty, PRO of the Defence ministry, which is in charge of organising the celebration.<br /><br />"Each state will display little known aspects of its art and culture, while the tableaux of ministries will showcase the functioning of their departments," he said. For the first time, the Election Commmission will roll out a tableau featuring a mammoth model of the Electronic Voting Machine and banners exhorting youngsters to vote.<br /><br />"With elections barely a week away in some states, we thought we could use the celebration as a platform to get more people to vote," said an EC official, who had come to inspect the tableau.<br /><br />Besides the EC, the other ministries that will showcase their tableaux include Textile, Human Resource Development, Tribal Affairs, Railways, Steel and Agriculture. The replica of Punjab Mail, the first train on the country's broadgauge network to compelete 100 years, will also be displayed as part of the Republic Day tableau.<br /><br />The mellifluous cadence of a flute, bejewelled dancers from Jammu and Kashmir undulating to the rhythm of a folk song, mime artists having organisers in splits, sculptors from Chhattisgarh chipping at a Dondaki piece--the states' repertoire have strived to showcase their cultural best.<br /><br />Among the states that will participate this time include, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgrah, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, Punjab, Nagaland and Sikkim.<br /><br />"This is a great opportunity for us. Most people know little about Assamese culture. This is the opportune time to show what we've got," said a visibly excited Rosy Ingtipi, an artiste from Assam, above the din of the rehersals for the celebration.<br /><br />Not to be left behind, the Indian Airforce will also have a special tableau with the theme 'People first mission always'. The IAF tableau will showcase the C-130J Super Hercules, the World's most advanced and tactical aircraft and the forces' latest acquisition in the IAF-Mi-17 V5 Helicopter.</p>
<p>Women's empowerment, the rich legacy of India's celebrated bard Rabindranath Tagore and universal adult franchise will be among a panoply of themes on Republic Day this Thursday as 23 tableaux get set to trundle down Rajpath here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The tableaux, representing various states and ministries, will vie for spectators' attention as they roll out, offering a kaleidoscopic view of India's cultural mosaic, its military might and economic strength.<br /><br />"This year, we have 23 tableaux representing 13 states and 10 ministries, departments and agencies of the Indian government," said Dhananjay Mohanty, PRO of the Defence ministry, which is in charge of organising the celebration.<br /><br />"Each state will display little known aspects of its art and culture, while the tableaux of ministries will showcase the functioning of their departments," he said. For the first time, the Election Commmission will roll out a tableau featuring a mammoth model of the Electronic Voting Machine and banners exhorting youngsters to vote.<br /><br />"With elections barely a week away in some states, we thought we could use the celebration as a platform to get more people to vote," said an EC official, who had come to inspect the tableau.<br /><br />Besides the EC, the other ministries that will showcase their tableaux include Textile, Human Resource Development, Tribal Affairs, Railways, Steel and Agriculture. The replica of Punjab Mail, the first train on the country's broadgauge network to compelete 100 years, will also be displayed as part of the Republic Day tableau.<br /><br />The mellifluous cadence of a flute, bejewelled dancers from Jammu and Kashmir undulating to the rhythm of a folk song, mime artists having organisers in splits, sculptors from Chhattisgarh chipping at a Dondaki piece--the states' repertoire have strived to showcase their cultural best.<br /><br />Among the states that will participate this time include, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgrah, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, Punjab, Nagaland and Sikkim.<br /><br />"This is a great opportunity for us. Most people know little about Assamese culture. This is the opportune time to show what we've got," said a visibly excited Rosy Ingtipi, an artiste from Assam, above the din of the rehersals for the celebration.<br /><br />Not to be left behind, the Indian Airforce will also have a special tableau with the theme 'People first mission always'. The IAF tableau will showcase the C-130J Super Hercules, the World's most advanced and tactical aircraft and the forces' latest acquisition in the IAF-Mi-17 V5 Helicopter.</p>