New Delhi: Representing different dance forms of India, a mega group of nearly 2,500 artistes is set to perform on the Kartavya Path here during the 77th Republic Day parade, whose main theme will be the sesquicentenary of ‘Vande Mataram’.
The broader theme of the performance will be — ‘Swatantra Ka Mantra – Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi Ka Mantra – Viksit Bharat’, officials said.
The members of the creative team that has worked on it include — M M Keeravani as music director, Subhash Sehgal as lyricist, Anupam Kher as narrator and Santosh Nair as choreographer, under the overall supervision and direction of Sandhya Purecha. Creative design and costumes shall be handled by Sandhya Raman, they said.
Keeravani shot to international fame after the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song composed by him for the blockbuster film ‘RRR’ won an Oscar award in the Best Original Song category in 2023.
The defence ministry, in a briefing on the Republic Day celebrations held last Friday, had announced that Keeravani is part of the creative team behind the cultural performance that will be hosted on the ceremonial boulevard on January 26.
Officials in the Ministry of Culture said the nearly 2,500 artistes will represent different dance forms of the country such as Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi, and Manipuri.
Keeravani, earlier in the day, took to X to share his joy about being part of the team.
“Dear all, Vande Mataram! On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the iconic song Vande Mataram, I feel deeply honoured and privileged to have composed the music for the 26th January Republic Day Parade, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture. This grand presentation will be performed by 2,500 artists from across India. Stay tuned as we come together to celebrate the spirit of our nation,” he posted.
In accordance with the theme, enclosure backdrops along the Kartavya Path will display old paintings illustrating the opening stanzas of the national song and floral artworks at the main stage paying 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.
These include Beas, Brahmaputra, Chambal, Chenab, Gandak, Ganga, Ghagra, Godavari, Sindhu, Jhelum, Kaveri, Kosi, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Pennar, Periyar, Ravi, Sone, Sutlej, Teesta, Vaigai, and Yamuna, the officials said.
Similarly, for the Beating Retreat Ceremony on January 29, enclosures will be named after Indian instruments — bansuri, damaru, ektara, esraj, mridangam, nagada, pakhawaj, santoor, sarangi, sarinda, sarod, shehnai, sitar, surbahar, tabla and veena.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, will be the chief guests at the parade.
The invitation cards will carry the logo of the national song’s sesquicentenary, and a bunch of balloons carrying a banner themed ‘Vande Mataram’ will be released in the air at the end of the parade, Defence Secretary R K Singh said in a press briefing at the South Block on January 16.
Also, band performances by the military and the Central Armed Police Forces are being held from January 19-26 at around 235 locations in over 120 cities to celebrate the national song, he said.
These will include bands by the Army, the Navy, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Coast Guard.
The performance venues will also include the ancestral home and birthplace of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee at Kanthalpara, Naihati, in North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, presently known as ‘Bankim Bhawan Gaveshana Kendra’ (also referred to as Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Residence and Museum or Bankim Sangrahashala), the defence ministry said.
Around 10,000 people from all walks of society have been invited to witness the event at Kartavya Path as ‘special guests’ this year.
People with exemplary work in connection with income and employment generation, technology, innovation, start-ups, self-help groups, and best performers under key government initiatives have been identified with the help of the departments concerned and invited to witness the ceremony.
These include winners of the World Athletic Para Championship, farmers practising natural farming, transgender persons and beggars rehabilitated under the PM-SMILE scheme, best performing scientists or technical persons involved in recent ISRO missions like Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan and participants of ‘Mann ki Baat’, the ministry said.
These special guests will be prominently seated along the Kartavya Path. In addition to the celebrations, arrangements have been made for their visit to the National War Memorial, Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya and other prominent places in Delhi. They will also get an opportunity to interact with some of the ministers, it said.
PTI
