India is celebrating Republic Day today, the 73rd anniversary of the entry into force of the Constitution and its formal transformation into an autonomous Republic
Demonstrations and parades were held in all the cities of the country: the most spectacular event of the year was that of the ITBP, the police force on the Indo-Tibetan border, known as the “Sentinel of the Himalayas”: in Auli, in Himalayan state of Uttarakhand a group of soldiers performed a march on skis, at 3,353 meters above sea level and minus 20 below zero
The New Delhi parade, watched on television and online by millions of Indians, began an hour later than expected due to the fog and poor visibility created by an exceptional cold wave
Twelve floats inspired by the cultural traditions of as many states also paraded. Shivangi Singh, the first Indian pilot of a fighter jet, on the chariot of the Indian Air Force tableau
The 73rd anniversary celebrations of the Indian Constitution will conclude on January 29 in New Delhi, with a laser and drone show at the end of the Beating Retreat ceremony.
The pandemic not only reduced the duration of the parade, the number of participants, but canceled the invitation to the foreign guest of honor from 2020
Among the foreign guests, the first was the Indonesian president Sukarno, in 1950, followed, among others, by Marshal Ye Jianying, a veteran of the Chinese Communist Party in 1958, and a Pakistani delegate in 1965.