Amrit formation involving 17 aircraft marks 73rd R-Day on the sky

Seventeen Jaguar combat jets creating a figure of 75 in the sky was the spectacular finale of the Republic Day parade in the 75th year of Independence, but the weather played a spoilsport as several formations during the flypast – the most eagerly awaited part of the parade - were barely visible from the ground due to the cloud cover.

The televised version of the Amrit formation involving 17 aircraft, however, used video footage captured during the practice sessions to provide an uninterrupted viewing experience to millions who watched the 73rd Republic Day parade on TV or online.

“The fly-past went through as planned. Some of the formations were only partially visible from the ground due to the presence of clouds,” said an IAF spokesperson.

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The 75 aircraft flypast over the central boulevard had two special formations named Meghna – one Chinook and four Mi-17 flying in proximity to form an arrowhead – and Tangail with one Dakota and two Dorniers to commemorate the golden jubilee of the victory of the 1971 war that led to birth of Bangladesh.

The two were meant to bring back the memories of the historic Tangail Air Drop and Meghna heli bridge – crucial moments during the 1971 campaign, which remains India’s most emphatic military victory. Both were shown to the public for the first time during the Air Force Day flypast in October.

But in an ironical turn of the events, Tangail and Meghna formations flew over the Rajpath days after Narendra Modi government decided to merge the Amar Jawan Jyoti, the eternal flame at the India Gate that came up a year after the 1971 victory with another flame at the National War Memorial, triggering a huge controversy with a section of the veterans observing that both flames could have been retained as decided earlier.

The IAF for the first time coordinated with public broadcaster Doordarshan to show recorded in-flight videos giving a unique viewing experience. Five Rafale fighters participated in the fly past while India’s first woman Rafale pilot Flt Lt Shivangi Singh was a part of the IAF tableau.

The Republic Day parade that showcased India’s military might and cultural diversity had several firsts this time ranging from 750 mt hand painted scrolls and giant LED screens to a sharply reduced number of guests with the Defence Ministry restricting the number of invitees to just about 5,000 lest the event turn into a Covid super-spreader.

For the second year in a row, there was no Chief Guest with President Ram Nath Kovind accepting the salute. Ashok Chakra, the nation’s highest peacetime gallantry award was given posthumously to Babu Ram, an assistant sub-inspector with Jammu and Kashmir Police for his bravery in an anti-terror operation in August, 2020 in which he killed three terrorists and saved a colleague before death.

As a portion of the redeveloped Central Vista was opened to the public, among the special invitees were construction workers of the Republic Day arena, labourers who prepared the majestic tableau, auto-rickshaw drivers, sanitary staff and front line workers.