New Delhi: The sesquicentenary of ‘Vande Mataram’ will be the dominant theme at this year’s Republic Day Parade, as enclosure backdrops on the Kartavya Path here will bear old paintings illustrating the opening stanzas of the National Song and floral artworks at the main stage will pay homage to its composer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
In a departure from traditional practice, ‘VVIP’ and other labels, used earlier for enclosures at the parade venue, will not be used. Instead, all enclosures have been named after Indian rivers, senior officials of the defence ministry said on Friday.
Defence Secretary R K Singh, in a press briefing at South Block, shared the broader contours of the 77th Republic Day celebrations that will see many firsts this time.
The theme this year is 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’ and the parade will celebrate it. The invitation cards will carry the logo of its sesquicentenary and a bunch of balloons carrying a banner themed on ‘Vande Mataram’ will be released in the air at the end of the parade.
Also, band performances by the military and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are being held from January 19-26 on the theme of ‘Vande Mataram’ at around 235 locations in over 120 cities, he said.
Another senior official said enclosure backdrops on the Kartavya Path in Delhi will bear prints of artist Tejendra Kumar Mitra’s paintings that illustrate the opening lines of ‘Vande Mataram’.
According to the culture ministry, these paintings were published in 1923.
