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Republic Day 2026: Meet the 5 debutants at Kartavya Path, chosen for India’s 77th Republic Day parade
Look out for these firsts during Republic Day parade: trailblazing women at the front to an animal contingent, and a tableau themed on Indian cinema!
The first Republic Day Parade since Operation Sindoor will make history with many a first. From trailblazing women at the forefront to an animal contingent and cinema tableau, here’s what will steal the show:
Military might
Indian Army will showcase its newly raised Bhairav units — light commando battalions trained for speed, drones, and border operations along key border areas. The elite formations will march down Kartavya Path for the first time. They are trained for extreme conditions.
Nari shakti
Simran Bala, Assistant Commandant, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a 26-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir. She will lead an all-men contingent, making her the first female officer to command over 140 male personnel at the annual national event. Captain Hansja Sharma, 27, is also scripting history. India’s first woman pilot qualified to fly the Rudra Armed Helicopter, she will command the 251 Army Aviation Squadron.
Bollywood break
A special tableau themed on Bharat Gatha will be presented by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. For this, singer Shreya Ghoshal has been roped in by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for a special song. Bhansali will be the first film director to represent Indian cinema on R-Day.
Army’s animal contingent
A curated animal contingent of the Indian Army’s Remount & Veterinary Corps (RVC), will roll down the ceremonial boulevard and include two Bactrian camels, four Zanskar ponies, four raptors, 10 Indian-breed Army dogs and six conventional military dogs..
No ‘VVIP’ labels
In a departure from the tradition, the previously-labelled VVIP enclosures in the stands at the parade venue will be named after Indian rivers such as Ganga, Narmada, Brahmaputra, Kaveri, and Beas among others.
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