Full dress rehearsal held despite downpour, soldiers shine with enthusiasm
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) – A full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day celebrations was held in Delhi on Friday. Despite the rain that had been pouring since morning, soldiers from all three armed forces marched in unison. For the first time, the Bhairav Battalion of the Indian Army participated in the full dress rehearsal.
It is noteworthy that for the first time this year, the Shakti Baan, Divyastra Battery, Bhairav Battalion, Universal Rocket Launching System, Robotic Dog, Eagle, Bactrian Camel, and Zanskar Pony will be seen at the Republic Day celebrations. Full dress rehearsals for the parade and cultural programs on January 26th are held every year on January 23rd. This year too, the artists and military personnel performed these rehearsals with great enthusiasm.
Despite the rain, there was no decrease in their enthusiasm. On the occasion of the 77th Republic Day Parade, a total of 30 tableaux will be displayed on the path of duty on 26th January. Out of these, 17 tableaux are from various states and union territories. Whereas 13 tableaux will be from various ministries, departments and services. The broad theme of this year's tableaux is 'Mantra of Freedom: Vande Mataram' and 'Mantra of Prosperity: Self-reliant India'. The Department of Military Affairs will display the tri-service tableau. In its tableau, this department will display Operation Sindoor, Victory through Jointness.
The Department of School Education and Literacy is presenting a tableau based on the National Education Policy 2020: Indian School Education Moving Towards a Developed India. These tableaux for the Republic Day parade will present India's independence, cultural pride, innovation, self-reliance, and developmental vision in a powerful and inspiring way to the nation and the world.
The Air Force's fly past during the Republic Day celebrations will be very special this time. The Air Force's fighter jets will form a 'Sindoor' formation in the sky during the fly past. This formation is reminiscent of 'Operation Sindoor'. In this formation, two Rafales, two MiG-29s, two Sukhoi-30s, and one Jaguar aircraft will be seen flying overhead. Under Operation Sindoor, Indian forces destroyed a total of nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will showcase several of its indigenous defense systems during the Republic Day parade and Bharat Parv 2026. These key systems include the Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile. This year, DRDO's special tableau will focus on naval technologies for combat submarines. DRDO will also showcase lethal weapons developed using indigenous technology during the Republic Day parade.
DRDO will showcase the Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile along with its launcher. This state-of-the-art weapon system has been developed keeping in mind the shore battery requirements of the Indian Navy.