Flag hoisting, march past, cultural extravaganza enthral audience.

The Republic Day parade at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground here on Sunday was witness to an impressive show of strength and discipline as contingents of Army, Air Force, Fire and Emergency Services, the KSRP and the City Armed Reserve (CAR) marched in unison to the accolade of the crowd.

But if the parade’s discipline was awe-inspiring, the cultural extravaganza by about 2,500 children left the morning crowd truly absorbed. Playing to a medley of patriotic songs, children dressed in colourful costumes performed musical tribute to the nation.
The themes of their performance were wide-ranging. One of them was remembering the heroes of independence. Children, aged 7 to 14, wore traditional attires and synchronised to perform the dances.

Playing Sangolli Rayanna, a young boy treading on a horseback proved to be the showstopper. The dance was part of the well-orchestrated dance by children of SBS Vidyamandira and New Bloom International School. It gave a glimpse into the contributions by Kittur Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna, Mangal Pandey, Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi. All the characters spoke a medley of dialogues — in Kannada and Hindi — from biopics of these famous personalities.

Although the regular motorbike show was not part of this year’s celebrations, the Mallakamba acrobatics by the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment Centre, Belgaum proved a worthy substitute. A 24-member team, led by Subedar Ashok Gunjal, performed 12 different acts on two poles in a show of agility, flexibility, fitness and strength.