Watch | French soldiers march down Rajpath on Republic Day

For the first time in Republic Day history, foreign troops joined the celebrations as soldiers from France's 35th Infantry Regiment, one of the country's oldest active regiments, marched alongside their Indian counterparts. It is a reciprocal gesture after Indian troops marched down Paris's Champs d'Elysees on Bastille Day in 2009.

French President Francois Hollande is the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year. This is the fifth time that a serving President of the French Republic will be the chief guest at the Republic Day function.