Sidelights from 76th Republic Day celebrations on Kartavya Path

New Delhi, Jan 26 (PTI) India celebrated the 76th Republic Day celebrations on Kartavya Path here on Sunday as the nation also marked 75 years since the Constitution came into effect.

Following are the sidelights from the event:

-- India displayed its military prowess, rich cultural heritage, economic progress and the strides it has taken in various sectors.

-- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was the chief guest on the occasion. He became the fourth Indonesian president to attend India's Republic Day celebrations. Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, was the chief guest at India's first Republic Day celebrations in 1950.

-- Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, among other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

-- A marching contingent and band contingent from Indonesia took part in the parade at Kartavya Path here.

-- While 75 years of the Constitution was the focus of celebrations, the theme for the tableaux was 'Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas'.

-- Sixteen tableaux from across states and Union Territories and 15 from central ministries, departments and organisations rolled down the ceremonial boulevard.

-- The country displayed its military prowess by showcasing some of the more advanced defence platforms such as BrahMos, Pinaka and Akash weapons systems.

-- T-90 'Bhishma' tanks Sarath (infantry carrying vehicle BMP-II), Short Span Bridging System 10m, Nag Missile System, multi-barrel rocket launcher system 'Agnibaan' and 'Bajrang' (light specialist vehicle) were also part of the parade.

-- Army's Battle Surveillance System 'Sanjay' and DRDO's surface-to-surface tactical missile 'Pralay' registered their presence in the ceremonial parade for the first time.

-- Among other firsts, a tri-services tableau depicting the spirit of "jointness" among the armed forces was also displayed for the first time.

-- President Murmu and her Indonesian counterpart Subianto arrived at Kartavya Path for the 76th Republic Day parade in a traditional buggy, a practice that made a comeback after a 40-year gap last year. They also departed in the buggy drawing cheers from the crowd.

-- Besides VVIP dignitaries, members of the Paralympic contingent, sarpanches from top-performing villages, handloom artisans and forest and wildlife conservation workers were among the nearly 10,000 special guests who have been invited to witness the 76th Republic Day Parade.

-- C-130J Super Hercules, C-295, C-17 Globemaster, P-8I, MiG-29 and Su-30, among other aircraft, took part in the flypast at the celebrations.

-- Two Param Vir Chakra awardees -- Subedar Major & Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav (retd) and Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar (retd), both Kargil war heroes -- and Ashok Chakra awardee Lt Col Jas Ram Singh (retd) were part of the parade.

-- A huge group of 5,000 artistes performed over 45 dance forms from different part of the country in a cultural performance titled 'Jayati Jaya Mamah Bharatam'.

-- A marching contingent each of boy and girl cadets of the NCC, along with a combined band of the Corps also were part of the parade.

-- A motorcycle display by daredevils of the Corps of Signals also drew loud cheer.