An eager audience on both sides of the imposing Rajpath, the country's ceremonial boulevard facing the seat of power Raisina Hills, braved the winter chill and cheered loudly as the parade went past them portraying the rich and diverse culture of the country. 
The icing on the cake was the 5,500-5,800 km ballistic Agni-V missile mounted on a road mobile launcher which was paraded by the Defence Research & Development Organisation as the crowd lapped it up with loud cheer.
General Officer Commanding (Delhi) Lt General Subroto Mitra led the synchronised military and police contingents as they marched to the cheerful tunes of bands through the 2-km Rajpath where President Pranab Mukherjee, also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, took the salute for the first time after assuming office in July last year.
The impressive march-past was watched by Chief Guest, Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A K Antony, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and top political and military brass.
Police and other para-military forces turned Delhi into a a virtual fortress for the Republic Day celebrations as helicopters scanned from air, snipers kept a hawk-eye vigil from rooftops and armed personnel at every nook and corner provided a ground-to-air security apparatus.
Minutes before the parade began, Singh, Antony and chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force laid wreaths at 'Amar Jawan Jyoti', an eternal flame in the memory of those who laid down their lives while defending the nation.
After the customary 21-gun salute and unfurling of the national tricolour by President Mukherjee, the spectacle began with four army helicopters flying above Rajpath carrying the national flag and the three flags of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The country showed its military strength with the MBT Arjun Tank, Armoured Ambulance Tracked Vehicle, BrahMos missiles and 214 mm Pinaka rockets, 15 Metre Sarvatra Bridging System.
The Army contingent from horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry, Mechanised Infantry Regiment, Maratha Light Infantry, Dogra Regiment, Garhwal Rifles, Ladakh Scouts, 8 Gorkha Training Centre, Army Ordnance Corps and Territorial Army (Punjab) marched to the martial tunes.
The next to follow were smartly-dressed Navy personnel and then the Air Force contingent. The Air Force contingent was led by Flight Lieutenant Heena Pore.
A mini version of INS Vikramaditya which will join the Naval fleet by the end of this year was also part of the parade which highlighted Indian Navy's blue water operating capability.
The DRDO displayed the Armoured Amphibious Dozer (AAD), an indigenously developed versatile Combat Engineer support equipment with excellent earth moving and amphibious capabilities in varied terrain. Airborne Early Warning and Control System and Naval Sonar were also displayed.
Other marching contingents were those of camel-mounted BSF, Assam Rifles, Coast Guard, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, RPF, Delhi Police, NCC and NSS.
As the country's armed and police forces demonstrated their might, states and different departments put up an impressive show when they showcased their rich cultural diversity in full display in 19 tableaux -- 14 from states and five from ministries. '
This year, the number of tableaux has been reduced to 19 from last year's 23.
The first tableau to roll out was that of West Bengal which paid tributes to the "ethereal thinker-patriot-saint" Swami Vivekananda, whose 150th birth anniversary will be celebrated this year. Vivekananda is depicted as one who is propagating the message "truth is one but the wise call it by different names".
Uttar Pradesh came up with 'Braj ki Holi' -- a social and cultural festival embracing all the social and regional diversities in itself. The tableau depicted a scene where the women of Barsana are trying to fend off the 'gopis' of Nandgaon region of Brijbhumi.
The north-eastern state of Meghalaya, also known as the abode of clouds, came up with post-harvest festival dance Wangala, a thanks giving ceremony to their God 'Misi Saljong' (The Great Giver). The dance is played to beats of 100 drums.
Karnataka tableau was that of 'Kinna', a craft primarily used to carve religious idols and toys. Its main attraction is Kamdhenu, the mythical cow.
One of the interesting concept this year was from Jammu and Kashmir, which showcased a unique blend of tradition and technology with world's first cloned pashmina goat 'Noori' and the pashmina-making process. The clone has come as a good news for the fine fibre-producing pashmina goat, which is only spotted at an altitude of 14,000-ft in Ladakh.
Jharkhand, which participated in the parade after a gap of five years, depicted the Dokra art -- a specialised metal cast technique using wax casting.
While the northern hill state of Himachal Pradesh showcased the craft, architecture and folk life of tribal district of Kinnaur, Kerala came up a miniature landscape of the state with a houseboat.
Chhattisgarh tableau has Shiva, Buddha and Jain temples on board depicting the cultural prosperity and religious tolerance of its ancient city called Sirpur. Odisha tableau was based on the Chandan Yatra of Lord Jagannath.
Earlier:
Tight security in capital for Republic Day celebrations
New Delhi, Jan 26: A thick security blanket was thrown around the capital today with thousands of armed personnel keeping a tight vigil to thwart any possible terror strike or any untoward incident during the Republic Day celebrations.
Snipers with sophisticated arms were on high-rises while hundreds of police personnel kept the eight km parade route from Rajpath to Red Fort under their watch to ensure that the event passed peacefully.
Around 25,000 police personnel, including those from paramilitary forces and sharpshooters from the elite National Security Guards (NSG) were deployed across the city in the run-up to the national celebrations.
Policemen kept a tab on the visuals from over 160 CCTVs between Rajpath and Red Fort, the route of the parade. Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters of the NSG were also on the job at various places while paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos kept a close watch along the route.
"There was a special emphasis on anti-sabotage checks, access control measures and intelligence coordination. The entire route of the parade was covered by special security and anti-terror arrangements.
"Elaborate air defence measures, including deployment of anti-aircraft guns, were also taken to check intrusion of air space," a senior police official said. Besides the air defence measures, helicopters of the Indian Air Force hovered around Rajpath and all along the route of the parade.
Vehicles entering the city were randomnly checked. As the city witnessed a terror strike only four months ago, the security establishment left no stone unturned to ensure an incident-free celebrations.
No vehicles were allowed to ply on Rajpath from 6 PM yesterday while vehicular movement was restricted on Tilak Marg, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg upto Red Fort from 4 AM.
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