58 tribal guests, 22 tableaux to mark 90 minute Republic Day parade

Fifty-eight tribal guests from various parts of the country, 22 tableaux of states and central government departments, and performance by school children will mark the 90-minute parade of this year's Republic Day.

The event on Saturday, where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the chief guest, will begin with the laying of wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Twenty-two tableaux from various states and central government departments on developmental, cultural and historical themes will be part of this year's Republic Day parade. Some of the tableaux on cultural themes will have integrated folk dances, a Home Ministry office memorandum said.

As many as 26 national award winning children, seated in open jeeps, will also form part of the cultural pageant. Three groups of children from Delhi schools and one group of children from Eastern zone Cultural Centre will be part of the parade. Each group will give a performance of about two minutes in front of the presidential dias at Rajpath.

"The duration of the Republic Day parade 2019 will be around 90 minutes," the home ministry said.

On behalf of the Centre, 58 tribal guests from various parts of the country have been invited to witness the celebrations in Delhi. The tribal guests and tableaux artists will call on the president, the vice president, the prime minister and the tribal affairs minister. They will be taken on sightseeing tours in and around the national capital.

Four helicopters would precede the parade commander. The lead helicopter will carry the national flag and the other three choppers would carry services flags, while the echelon aircraft would shower flower petals.