The Walled City of Jaipur and Gujarat’s iconic stepwell in Patan, both UNESCO world heritage, and the 550th anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev will be thematically showcased among the host of tableaux in the Republic Day Parade this year, officials said on Wednesday. Jammu & Kashmir will participate in the parade for the first time as a Union Territory.
Out of the total 22 tableaux, 16 will be of various States and UTs and six of Ministries, Departments and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). They were unveiled at an event held at the Delhi Cantonment on Wednesday.
Assam and Meghalaya will represent the Northeastern states.
The Walled City of Jaipur, which was accorded the UNESCO World Heritage tag in 2019, will be the overriding theme of the Rajasthan tableau that will depict the Pink City’s architectural grandeur and the state’s vibrant culture reflected in its folk songs and dances.
The year 2019 was the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and this will be theme of the Punjab’s tableau in the parade.Sikhism’s architectural and cultural heritage will be portrayed in its tableau, with messages Kirat Karo , Naam Japo and Vand Chhako , which form the cornerstone of Sikhism, depicted in panels.
Gujarat’s architectural wonder Rani Ki Vav will be the centrepiece of the state’s tableau, complemented with folk culture and dances performed by artistes. Rani Ki Vav, or Queen’s Stepwell, was initially built by Rani Udayamati as a memorial to her husband King Bhimdev I in the 11th century in Patan district of the state was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014. The majestic architecture of the stepwell will be showcased in the tableau that will be fronted by a statue of a village woman wearing Patola saree of Patan.
The Jammu & Kashmir tableau showcases the rich sartorial and cultural heritage of the region with a shawl weaver being depicted in the front. The flora and fauna will be shown in the middle complemented with the Dogra and Kashmiri folk culture.
Other states which will take part in the grand parade are Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
The Defence Ministry had received 32 tableau proposals from states and union territories and 24 from central ministries and departments. Besides, the three wing of the armed forces — Army, Air Force and Navy — will have their own tableaux, officials said.