68th Republic Day Celebrations - 26th January 2017

[Hindustani78]

Indian Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin after unfurling the tricolour at the Republic Day reception at Permanent Mission of India in New York.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari and Smt. Salma Ansari with the Tableaux Artistes who participated in the Republic Day Parade - 2017, in New Delhi on January 27, 2017.

 

[Muhammad Omar]

Well UAE delegation was very happy at Rajpath Specially when Modi came Al-Habibi was quick to take a Selfie with him LOL

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
28-January, 2017 15:37 IST
Republic Day Parade – 2017 Awards announced

Madras Engineer Group Adjudged Best Marching Contingent amongst Services

The results of different competitive presentations in the Republic Day Parade – 2017 have been announced by the Ministry of Defence. Among the Services category, Madras Engineer Group has been adjudged the best marching contingent. In the category of Para-Military Forces and other auxiliary marching contingents, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) contingent has been adjudged the best marching contingent.

In the tableau category, in total 23 tableau including six from Union Ministries / Departments took part in this year’s Republic Day Parade, out of which first position has gone to Arunachal Pradesh tableau, which depicted the Yak dance, one of the most famous pantomimes of the Mahayana sect of Buddhist tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Tripura’s tableau based on ‘Hojagiri’ dance, depicting the magnificent Reang tribal dance was adjudged the second best, while the third position was shared by Maharashtra and Tamilnadu. The tableau of Maharashtra depicted the commemoration of 160th birth anniversary of the honoured freedom fighter, Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak. The Tamilnadu tableau portrayed the popular folk dance ‘Karagattam’ which forms an important event in temple festival celebrations, especially in Amman temple festivals in the rural areas of Tamilnadu.

In the category of tableaux representing Union Ministries/Departments, the first prize has been awarded to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship which depicted the theme ‘Transforming India through Skill Development’, and highlighted the achievements of the Ministry and its programmes. The tableau presented by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) depicting the concept of ‘Green India-Clean India’ was selected for a special prize by the jury.

In the competitive category of school children items, the dance presented by Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pitampura, Delhi has been adjudged the best children item for their performance to express how our National Flag has been a witness to the glorious tales of our freedom fighters, establishment of Indian democracy, the endless affection of Indians, women’s empowerment and such countless achievements. A Consolation Prize has also been awarded to South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur for their performance of the ‘Saila Karma’ dance which is a popular dance of the Gond Tribe of Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh.

As in previous years, this year also Ministry of Defence had appointed three panels of judges for assessing the marching contingents from three Services, Para-Military Forces and Tableau from various States/Ministries/Departments and School Children items from Schools of Delhi as well as outside Delhi. The panels of judges today announced their results here.

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Prime Minister's Office
28-January, 2017 14:01 IST
PM addresses NCC Rally


The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today said that the life of a NCC cadet is beyond the uniform, the parade and the camps; and added that the NCC experience provides a sense of mission. He was addressing the NCC rally in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister said that the NCC experience offers a glimpse of India, its strength and its diversity. He said that emperors, rulers, governments do not make a nation, but a nation is made by its citizens, youth, farmers, scholars, scientists, workforce, and saints.

He said that NCC cadets inspire confidence about the future of India, and instill pride about the strength of our youth.

The Prime Minister appreciated the role of NCC in furthering the cause of cleanliness. He also called for continuing the movement towards digital transactions.

***

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inspecting the Guard of Honour, during the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi taking NCC cadets’ salute, during the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi taking NCC cadets’ salute, during the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the NCC Cadets and Officers at the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017. The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

 

[Hindustani78]

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Defence
28-January, 2017 16:56 IST
Curtain Raiser – Beating The Retreat 2017

This year, spectators at the Beating the Retreat ceremony will be enthralled with the mesmerising and foot tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). As many as 26 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk, mostly composed by Indian musicians will thrill the audience with patriotic fervour. The tunes to be rendered are ‘Singarh’, ‘Patni Top’, ‘Mony Musk’, ‘Jak Wilson’, ‘General Tappy’, ‘The Gael’, ‘ Scotland the Brave’, ‘Jal Nidhi’, ‘Yaman’, ‘Sky Lark’, ‘Veer Bharat’, ‘Pyari Bhumi’, ‘Take to the Sky’, ‘Victory Dhun’, ‘Air Force Colours’, ‘Benihal’, ‘Indian Fleet’, ‘Admirals Ensignia’, ‘Jai Bharti’, ‘Appu’, ‘Call of the Heart’, ‘Gulmarg’, ‘Drummers Call’, ‘Army Star’, ‘Abide with Me’ and lastly the ever-popular ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’. While the tunes are a mix of Indian and Western compositions the dominance of the Desi tunes will add special flavour to the ceremony.

The ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29th every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. This year, 16 Military Bands, 16 Pipes and Drums Bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in Beating the Retreat ceremony. Besides one each of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force band will also form part of the event. Another band of the State Police and CAPF comprising Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police will also take part.

The principal conductor of the Beating Retreat ceremony will be Sqn Ldr G Jayachandran while Army bands conductor will be Subedar Major Hemraj and the Navy and Air Force band commanders will be Master Chief Petty Officer (Musician-I) Ramesh Chand and Junior Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar respectively. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Inspector Lal Singh. Buglers will perform under the leadership of Sub Parbat Singh and pipes and drums bands will play under the instructions of Sub Maj Gopal Singh.

‘Beating the Retreat’ has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded. The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. ‘Beating Retreat’ marks a centuries old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by.

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[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the award for the best tableau in Republic Day Parade-2017 to the Arunachal Pradesh tableau, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the award for the second best tableau in Republic Day Parade-2017 to the Tripura tableau, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the award for the third best tableau in Republic Day Parade-2017 to the Maharashtra tableau, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the award for the third best tableau in Republic Day Parade-2017 to the Tamil Nadu tableau, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the award for the best tableau to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship under Union Ministries/Departments category for its float on ‘Skill India’, in Republic Day Parade-2017, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the first prize in the best school children items category to the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pitampura, Delhi for its dance performance ‘Tiranga Sakshi Hai’ in Republic Day Parade-2017, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre presenting the consolation prize under the best School Children items category to South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur for its dance programme ‘Saila Dance’, in Republic Day Parade-2017, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre with the artists of different cultural troupes who participated in Republic Day Parade-2017, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

The Minister of State for Defence, Shri Subhash Ramrao Bhamre with the artists of different cultural troupes who participated in Republic Day Parade-2017, in New Delhi on January 28, 2017.

 

[schoolboy]

Cute photos.

But I'm dismayed at the size and display of the military component. Not a good thing.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/indians-celebrate-republic-day-patriotic-fervor/

THE 68th Republic Day of India was celebrated with fervor in Indian missions and schools around the Kingdom.

In Riyadh, Ambassador Ahmad Javed hoisted the national flag followed by rendition of national anthem and patriotic songs by the students of the International Indian School in Riyadh. Students of the school also presented several colorful cultural performances.

Ambassador Javed read out President Pranab Mukherjee’s message to the gathering of over 550 members of Indian community, friends of India and officials of the mission.

In Jeddah, a colorful ceremony was held on the premises of the consulate. Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh hoisted the national flag. The flag hoisting was followed by the singing of the national anthem and reading of the president’s address to the nation.

A large number of Indian nationals attended the function. Indian community members and friends of India were invited to the ceremony. Children from the International Indian School, Jeddah, sang patriotic songs and enchanted the audience. About 700 people attended the function.

The consul general then arrived at the IISJ premises to preside over the ceremony. After hoisting the Indian flag and the rendition of the national anthem, Sheikh read out Mukherjee’s message on the occasion to the goodly crowd and the children assembled.

Reading out Mukherjee’s address to the nation, Sheikh began with the president’s tribute to the brave soldiers and security personnel who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives in defending India’s territorial integrity and maintaining law and order.

He also recollected the president’s words on how the “Indian people gave to themselves a constitution to secure for all its citizens, justice, liberty, equality, and gender and economic equity. We promised to promote fraternity, dignity of the individual, and unity and integrity of the nation.”

The message continued, “On that day, we became the largest democracy of the world. The faith and commitment of people gave life to our Constitution and our founding fathers, wisely and carefully, steered the new nation past its troubles of being a poor economy with huge regional imbalances and a vast citizenry deprived of even basic necessities.

“It goes to the credit of the strong institutions of democracy built by our founders that for the last six and a half decades, Indian democracy has been an oasis of stability in the region troubled by unrest….

“What has brought us thus far will take us further ahead. But we will have to learn to adjust our sails, quickly and deftly, to the winds of change. Evolutionary and incremental growth will have to accommodate rapid disruptions brought in by advances of science and technology. Innovation, more so inclusive innovation, will have to become a way of life. Education will have to keep pace with technology.”

The president’s message rounded off with the homily: “In a fiercely competitive world, we have to work harder than ever to redeem the promises that we make to our people.”
The ceremony then saw the IISJ children of various blocks presenting a series of drill displays and singing patriotic songs with the curtain being rung down on the function with a tableau of Glimpses From Our Freedom Struggle.

A synchronized display by the IISJ marching band of music and precision that saw them float some elaborate patterns to the beats of music heralded a series of items. This was followed by a medley of patriotic songs (mere mulk, mere watan; chodo ghar ke baaten; Yeh desh hum nau jawano kha and saare jahan se acha yeh Hindustan hamara) from VII-VIII boys.

The real scene-stealers were the tiny tots from the I-II block (girls) with their coordinated movements in the drill display. The dress allotted to the girls represented the VIBGYOR in a rainbow to highlight ‘unity in diversity’ in a nation boasting of varying cultures, and soon the children resembled a rainbow (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red) before transforming into a flower.

A patriotic song by girls from VI to VIII blocks was followed by a drill by boys from the I-II blocks, who too showed some intricate formation — resembling a flower and a star — with the tricolor in the center rounding off the display.

On left, Ambassador Ahmad Javed hoists the national flag in Riyadh. On right, Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh hoists the national flag in Jeddah. — Courtesy photos

 

[Hindustani78]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives during the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the 'Beating Retreat' ceremony, at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2017
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi greeting the Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari on his arrival for 'Beating Retreat', at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee in procession during the departure from Rashtrapati Bhavan for witnessing the 'Beating Retreat' at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on January 29, 2017.

President Pranab Mukherjee arrives in a buggy to attend the Beating Retreat Ceremony at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi greeting the President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on his arrival for 'Beating Retreat', at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2017.

The Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Sumitra Mahajan and other dignitaries at the 'Beating Retreat' ceremony, at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2017.

 

[kmc_chacko]

nice pictures

 

[Hindustani78]

The Band performing at the 'Beating Retreat' ceremony, at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2017.

A view of the illuminated Rashtrapati Bhavan, South and North Block, during the 'Beating Retreat' ceremony, at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2017.