India's arsenal might to be on display at 77th Republic Day parade

VandeMataram@150, Operation Sindoor, EU military contingent, and Atmanirbhar Bharat to headline the parade

Under the overarching theme of commemorating 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram, the 77th Republic Day parade on Monday will also highlight the success of Operation Sindoor and the government’s efforts towards atmanirbharta, or self-reliance.

 

The parade on Kartavya Path, where the European Union (EU) leadership — President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen — will be the chief guests, will feature an EU military contingent.

 

The EU contingent will include four flag bearers on three vehicles. They will carry four flags: the flag of the EU; the flag of the EU Military Staff; the flag of the EU Naval Force Atalanta, which spearheads EU naval diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific and is involved in maritime security; and the flag of EU Naval Force Aspides, an EU military operation to protect international shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi rebels.

 

 

The 90-minute parade will feature 30 tableaux — 17 from states and Union Territories (UTs) and 13 from ministries, departments, and services — centred around the themes ‘Swatantrata ka mantra: Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi ka mantra: Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

 

Gujarat and Chhattisgarh’s tableau will carry the theme ‘Mantra of swadeshi–self-reliance–freedom: Vande Mataram’. Kerala’s tableau will highlight ‘Water Metro, 100 per cent digital literacy, and Atmanirbhar Kerala for Atmanirbhar Bharat’. West Bengal’s tableau will highlight ‘Bengal in the freedom movement of India’. The Union culture ministry tableau will be themed ‘Vande Mataram: The soul cry of a nation’.

 

The Air veterans’ tableau will carry the theme ‘Nation building through war’, while the Ministry of Home Affairs tableau will mark ‘Bhuj earthquake: 25 years of resilience’. According to a Ministry of Defence (MoD) explainer, a glass-cased integrated operational centre depicting the conduct of Operation Sindoor will also roll down Kartavya Path.

 

“A masterful blend of ‘virasat, vividhta aur vikas’ acted as the magic potion during the operation. While the BrahMos missile struck deadly blows to the enemy, the Akash missile systems and S-400 provided a protective shield, reflecting the Sudarshan Chakra vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the explainer read.

 

A flypast, synchronised with the Indian Air Force (IAF) marching contingent, will include two Dassault Rafales, two Mikoyan MiG-29s, two Sukhoi Su-30s, and one Jaguar flying in a ‘spearhead’ formation, symbolising the ‘Sindoor formation’.

 

The ceremony will begin with a 21-gun salute using 105-millimetre light field guns, an indigenously developed artillery system. Several officers commanding the contingents are second- or third-generation military officers.

 

The MoD said the parade will showcase, for the first time, a phased ‘battle array format’ of the Indian Army, including its aerial component. “The recce element will include the 61st Cavalry in active combat uniform. It will be followed by the high-mobility reconnaissance vehicle, India’s first indigenously designed armoured light specialist vehicle. Providing aerial support will be the indigenous Dhruv advanced light helicopter and its armed version, Rudra, in Prahar formation, demonstrating battlefield shaping,” it said.

 

The front portion of the veterans’ tableau, symbolising Sangram, will feature a striking three-dimensional circular wall depicting iconic war machines that shaped India’s decisive moments in conflict. The tri-services tableau will depict ‘Operation Sindoor: Victory through jointness’. “The visual narrative highlights precision airstrikes by the IAF, swift naval manoeuvres ensuring maritime dominance, and coordinated ground offensives by the Indian Army, reflecting a decisive joint military campaign,” MoD said.

 

This year, 2,500 cultural artistes from every state and UT will perform on Kartavya Path. The Ministry of Culture will present the performance under the Vande Mataram theme.

 

The flypast will include 29 aircraft in total — 16 fighter aircraft, four transport aircraft, and nine helicopters. The ceremony will conclude with the national anthem and the release of balloons, accompanied by a banner depicting Vande Mataram.

 

A series of paintings by Tejendra Kumar Mitra, created in 1923 to illustrate the verses of Vande Mataram and published in the Bande Mataram Album (1923), will be displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path. Pan-Indian band performances on the theme Vande Mataram have been organised from January 19-26, including at the ancestral home and birthplace of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Floral decorations in front of the dais, along with invitation cards and tickets, will be based on the Vande Mataram theme. Videos on Vande Mataram will also be played on screens at Kartavya Path, a government statement said.