VIP seats cut down for R-Day parade, 32,000 seats allotted for public

New Delhi [India], January 18 : In the run-up to the 74th Republic Day celebrations, a series of new events are being organised to mark the festival of India's democracy.
The Nation will celebrate its 74th Republic Day on January 26. The celebrations include the traditional march past at Kartavya Path comprising a grand parade by the contingents of the Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces; tableaux display by the States and Central Ministries/Departments; cultural performances by children; acrobatic motorcycle rides and a fly-past, besides Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Vijay Chowk and PM's NCC rally.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said that celebrations have been planned reflecting the Prime Minister's vision of Jan Bhagidari. The Republic Day celebrations are going to be week-long commencing on January 23, the birth anniversary of great national icon Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and culminating on January 30 which is observed as Martyrs' Day. The celebrations will be a tribute to INA veterans, people and tribal communities who participated in the freedom movement.
From one lakh seats allowed for the public in pre-COVID times, the number of seats has been cut down to 45,000. The number of seats for VIPs has been cut down significantly., according to the Ministry of Defence.
Many new events are being organised as part of the Republic Day celebrations this year. These include Military Tattoo and Tribal dance festival; Veer Gatha 2.0; second edition of Vande Bharatam dance competition; performances of Military and Coast Guard bands at the National War Memorial; an All-India School Band Competition; a Drone Show and projection mapping during Beating the Retreat ceremony.
As part of Republic Day celebrations and to mark the 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (celebrated as Parakram Diwas), a Military Tattoo and Tribal Dance festival 'Aadi-Shaurya - Parv Parakram ka' will be held at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on January 23-24. The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are jointly organising the event, with Indian Coast Guard being the coordinating agency. It will witness 10 Military Tattoo performances and 20 Tribal Dances, said the Ministry of Defence.
Over 1,200 performers are fine-tuning their art forms each day in rehearsals with their unique and colourful costumes, headdresses, musical instruments and rhythmic dance beats. The traditional dance forms to be presented during the main event include Gaurr Maria, Gaddi Nati, Siddi Dhamal, Baiga Pardhoni, Purulia, Bagurumba, Ghusadi, Balti, Lambadi, Paika, Rathwa, Budigali, Songimukhawate, Karma, Mangho, Ka Shad Mastieh, Kummikali, Palaiyar, Cheraw and Rekham Pada.
The Indian Armed Forces will showcase Horse Show, Khukuri Dance, Gatka, Mallakhamb, Kalaripayattu, Thang-ta, Motorcycle Display, Air Warrior Drill, Navy Band and martial arts. 20 Tribal dance troupes from all across the country will perform during the military tattoo event. Approximately 60,000 spectators are expected to attend the event.
The grand finale will showcase a performance by famous playback singer Shri Kailash Kher.
The second edition of Vande Bharatam dance competition was organised as part of Republic Day celebrations. Entries were sought from October 15 - November 10, 2022, from the participants in the age group of 17-30 years in the genres of Folk/Tribal, Classical and Contemporary/ Fusion. State/UT-level and Zonal-level competitions were conducted from November 17 to December 10, 2022 by the seven Zonal Cultural Centres under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.
The Grand finale was held in New Delhi on December 19-20, 2022 which witnessed the participation of 980 dancers. Of those, 503 dancers were selected by a jury. These dancers will put up a grand cultural show during the Republic Day parade on the theme of 'Nari Shakti'.
Veer Gatha, one of the unique projects launched as a part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' last year, was organised to inspire and spread awareness among children about the gallant deeds and sacrifices of the Armed Forces. This year too, the Tri-Services organised virtual and face-to-face interaction of school children with Gallantry Award winners and the students (from 3rd to 12th standard) submitted their entries in the form of poem, essay, painting, multimedia presentations etc.
These were evaluated by a national Committee, which selected Super-25. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi is scheduled to felicitate the winners on January 25. These winners will also attend the Republic Day parade.