Parade that announced the birth of the Republic
The Republic Day Parade is now a spectacular event but perhaps the genuine sense of wonderment and pride that were earlier its hallmark have reduced.
On Republic Day today, as the 76th Republic Day Parade rolls down the imposing Kartavya Path (earlier Raj Path), how many of you know where this celebration and Parade took place on the same day in 1950? Few eyewitnesses remain, and most, including myself, were not born then.
On January 26, 1950, the Parade took place in the grounds of a somewhat run-down building called the Irwin Amphitheatre, renamed in 1951 as the National Stadium (now the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium). It stands next to India Gate and was built as a gift by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar in 1933, who “appropriately” named it the Irwin Amphitheatre after Lord Irwin, the former Viceroy of India, who had inaugurated New Delhi in February 1931 as the new British capital of India.
Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic, was sworn in as President on January 26 at 10:24 am in the imposing Durbar Hall at Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Chief Justice of India, Patanjali Shastri. After assuming office, Prasad gave a short speech, significantly first in Hindi and then in English. The Parade began at 2:30 pm, when the President rode in a renovated 35-year-old State carriage drawn by six handsome Australian horses, escorted (as now) by the President’s Bodyguard. President Sukarno of Indonesia was the chief guest. Not coincidentally, on the 75th anniversary of our Republic this year, it is again an Indonesian President, Prabawo Subianto, who is the chief guest.
But to return to January 26, 1950. As the presidential cavalcade drove through the grounds of Irwin Amphitheatre, people had to perch themselves on trees and buildings to catch a glimpse, for the capacity of Irwin Amphitheatre was only 15,000. The Parade ended at 3:45 pm, when massed bands of the armed forces and the police heralded the new Republic.
Compared to the grandiose Parade today, it was a modest — almost improvised — affair, but this was more than made up by the spirit of spontaneous and emotional celebration. In 1951, the Parade shifted to Raj Path, gradually growing in size and content. For Indians, it was a big attraction, and people who lived in Delhi had their homes inundated with visiting family and friends. In the mid-1950s, my father was posted in Delhi as joint secretary in the ministry of defence. In fact, he was the key officer responsible for the organisation of the Parade. Our home then resembled a dharmshala.
As a child, I remember the easy informality of the whole affair. Security, so ubiquitous and unyielding now, was almost non-existent. Visitors moved from one enclosure to another, and the VVIPs mixed freely with them. Chacha Nehru, with the trademark red rose in his sherwani, was a great favourite of children and went out of his way to greet them.
For the President, Republic Day is a busy period. She hosts an At Home in the afternoon and addresses the nation on the eve before. When I was press secretary to President Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1993, it was decided that the President would make his address not by reading his speech but by looking straight at the camera. It was an excruciating exercise since the Rashtrapatiji took very long to adjust to this new machine called the teleprompter! But finally, after hours of recording, a new beginning — since followed — was made.
One of my proudest moments was when in 1976 I was asked by AIR to be one of the live commentators of the Parade. I was then still in university, and to have the opportunity to be — however remotely — part of the great tradition of iconic commentators like Melville de Mellow and Jasdev Singh was humbling. My booth was at India Gate, and I vividly recall the excitement of that experience.
The Republic Day Parade is now a spectacular event. Yet, perhaps, the warmth and enthusiasm, and the genuine sense of wonderment and pride, that were earlier its hallmark have reduced. Somehow, in spite of the enhanced pageantry and live telecast, the excitement of being part of history in the making has diminished. The visuals of the President and other VVIPs sitting distantly behind bulletproof glass shields, make it clear that both the Parade and the times have changed.
Pavan K Varma is author, diplomat, and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). The views expressed are personal
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