From lack of chief guest to separate farmers parade, here s how Republic Day 2021 will be different
Like everything else, the 72nd Republic Day function has also been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the event to be scaled down.
Share Via Email
| A+A A- By Online Desk
Every year the Republic Day is celebrated with a parade that involves a grand show of strength in front of crowds of more than a lakh including special international guests gathered to witness the extravagant display.
But the celebrations will be quite different in 2021.
Like everything else, the 72nd Republic Day function has also been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the event to be scaled down.
Updated Jan 25, 2021 | 23:13 IST
No chief guest, spectator size restricted and Covid protocols in place. Representational Image | Photo Credit: ANI
Key Highlights
Children only above 15 years of age allowed
Marching contingents reduced from 144 to 96
26 January 2021, will go down in history books- as India celebrates its Republic Day but with a difference. With Covid-19 pandemic affecting the world, the celebration may be subdued but the spirits remain high! This year s R-day parade will see many firsts! It will be for the first time in 50 years, India will not have a chief guest at its R-day parade. The day marked with patriotic fervour and enthusiastic celebration is going to be a subdued one.
Republic Day 2021 | Rafale, first woman fighter pilot and other events that will make this year’s parade unique
While India will display its military might and culture during the Republic Day parade in the national capital, the event will follow a strict coronavirus safety protocol. January 24, 2021 / 12:33 PM IST
File image: Indian soldiers march during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India on January 23, 2021. (Image: Reuters/Adnan Abidi)
India’s 72nd Republic Day on January 26 will be different this time, with the coronavirus pandemic forcing changes in what used to be a grand show of the country s culture and military might in the heart of New Delhi.
India s first woman combat fighter pilot, Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth, is part of the IAF tableau that rolled down the Rajpath on full -day rehearsal on Saturday.
NEW DELHI: This year’s Republic Day parade will be unique as it will witness several firsts and several first-time misses. From the participation of troops deployed in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India’s first woman fighter pilot, a tableau of newly formed UT of Ladakh to the flypast by the country’s newly acquired multirole Rafale fighters over Rajpath, visitors will be enthralled to see many things for the first time.
However, the country’s 72nd R-Day parade will have no chief guest after more than five decades, no participation of military veterans and even no stunts by motorcycle daredevils. “Due to Covid restrictions, even the route of the parade has been curtailed till National Stadium (C-Hexagon of India Gate) unlike previous years when it was till Red Fort. Also, the size of marching contingents