Patriotic fervour grips Delhi on 69th Republic Day

From flaunting tricolour clothes to flags adorning the vehicles, the people of Delhi sported patriotism with the colours of the national flag everywhere on Friday -- a day the nation marked its 69th Republic Day.

With #Republicday2018 as one of the trending hashtags on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, youngsters took to the social networking sites to give vent to their patriotic fervour.

From putting tricolour frames on profile pictures to uploading selfies wearing the colours of saffron, white and green, they expressed their love for the country.

With street vendors selling bands, flags, hats etc., people wore patriotism on their sleeves. Many people were seen with their faces painted with the flag colours.

The Republic Day marks the day when the Indian Constitution came into effect -- on January 26, 1950.

"We got our Constitution on this day. We are celebrating that," 11-year-old Tanmay with tricolour paint on his face told IANS.

Shopping complexes and market places were all soaked in the three colours and patriotic songs were being played by several of them.

"I woke up to loud cheers of 'Vande Mataram'. There was a group of people raising the slogan as they walked past on the street," said Shrinkhala Jain, a Delhi University student.

"Market areas and restaurants were decorated with tricolour balloons. So I also decided to sport the colours of our national flag with a suit matching the shades in the flag," the 21-year-old said.

Government buildings, including Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House, had been decorated with beautiful lights since a day prior to the Republic Day, like every year.

The national flag could be seen fluttering atop cars, auto-rickshaws and bicycles across the national capital, where most important R-Day celebrations are organised at Rajpath every year.

Thousands of men, women and children covered in woollens braved the morning winter chill to watch India's military prowess and diverse cultural heritage on display at the annual parade here.

The parade, a showcase of an impeccable display of might by the Armed Forces and India's soft power, this year had many firsts to its credit.

India for the first time ever since it became a republic invited 10 guests of honour -- heads of state or government from the 10 Asean countries -- to the capital for the Republic Day celebrations.

--IANS

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