The Republic Day Parade is attended by nearly 2 lakh people from all across the country every year. For a few days before the parade, India Gate and surrounding area turns into a virtual fortress. With thousands of army personnel taking active part, there's an equal number of people working behind the scenes to make the parade function like a clockwork that it is. The Ceremonial Division of the Ministry of Defence is in-charge of organising the parade and coordinates with no less than 70 different organisations. The preparation for the event begins around March and culminates a year later in January. Here's what goes on behind the scenes.
#1 The parade starts when the President arrives and the horse mounted unit of the President's Body Guard gives him a salute. Just at that instant, the national anthem plays and a 21 gun salute starts. But did you know that there are not actually 21 guns firing off? There are 7 artillery guns of the Indian Army, called the '25 pounders' that fire off the moment the CO of the President's Body Guard salutes the President. The firing of the gun matches the first note of the national anthem, and finishes with the last, exactly 52 seconds later. These guns were built in 1941 and take part in all ceremonial functions of the army.
Reuters
#2 Security is the biggest concern for a mega event like the Republic Day Parade. There are close to 35,000 security cordon off the area, and all buildings on the Raisina Hill are vacated a day before and Delhi Police personnel posted. Security officers in plain clothes are also placed strategically at important points all along the path of the parade. Sniffer dogs are also employed to sensitise the area.
Comyan
#3 The day begins early for the marching contingents. They're up by 2 am and by 3 am, they're already at Rajpath. But the preparations had begun in July last year, when they were notified of taking part in the parade. Till August they practise their drill at their respective regimental centres before coming to Delhi back in December. By the time they are ready for the final event, they have already had 600 hours of hard drill practice. They repeat the same drill over and over, till it becomes muscle memory.
Comyan
#4 For the state of the art equipment like tanks and Armoured Personnel Carriers that showcase India's might, a special camp is created within the India Gate complex. Each weapon system then undergoes 10 stages of checks and paints to prepare for the final day.
Comyan
#5 It's a long parade. Everyday, during the practice and the full dress rehearsal, each contingent will march for 12 km. The final parade though is 9 km long. There are judges sitting all along the path, closely monitoring them on 200 parameters. There's a 'best marching contingent' award to be had. The pride of the unit is on the line, so while they get tired, they continue to march on for the entire course of the parade.
Comyan
#6 Everything at the Republic Day Parade is regimented. Down to the last second. Any delay at the beginning, will have a cascading effect.
Comyan
#7 Every single soldier that participates in the parade, has to go through four levels of security screening. They too go through strict scrutiny and every single weapon is checked to see that it is not carrying a live round before it reaches Rajpath.
Reuters
#8 In this year's Republic Day Parade 36 canines, 24 Labradors and 12 German Shepherds of the Remount and Veterinary Corps are also taking part. Did you know that each dog has its own profile in the Army Headquarters and each one is even posted to different locations. Even these guys are soldiers, participating in anti-terrorist operations in forward locations like Kashmir valley.
Reuters
#9 Each tableau drives at the speed of 5 km/h so that the dignitaries can have a good look at it. Wonder how they manage this? See the Army soldier marching next to the tableau? He is marching to the beat of the music and the driver of the tableau is keeping him in his sights through the small window. Isn't that smart?
Reuters
#10 This time around, there will be 136 French soldiers marching alongside their Indian counterparts. As the Indian Army discovered, they march at a much slower pace of 106 beats per minute compared to 120 beats per minute that the Indian contingents will march at. The French have been asked to put in extra practice sessions.
Reuters
