President s bodyguards rehearse for Republic Day Parade, Delhi (Credit: ANI)
NEW DELHI: The 72nd Republic Day celebrations tomorrow will have several firsts and will also miss out on some long-standing traditions for the first time. While the number of visitors, tableaus and participants in the parade will be significantly less this year, the highlights will be the Rafale flypast, a foreign contingent and India’s first woman fighter pilot.
Bangladesh s armed forces contingent to participate
This year, a 122-member contingent from Bangladesh s armed forces will be part of the Republic Day parade. They will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Indo-Pak war that led to the liberation and creation of Bangladesh. This is the first time that a marching contingent from a neighbouring country is being invited to participate in the parade. France has been the other country to feature in a previous year. This will be the third time India will be hosting a foreign contingent to part