Women power marches on Rajpath this Republic Day

New Delhi

It was a historic day for the Indo-US ties, but it was also a day to remember for the women of the country whose empowerment remained the central theme of the Republic Day parade on the ceremonial boulevard.

From the women contingent of the three armed forces who marched in the parade for the first time to state tableaux depicting women at the forefront, the event left the women members in the crowd emotional and proud.

As the women contingent of the Army led by Captain Divya Ajith marched past the ceremonial dais, the crowd broke into applause.

Ajith earlier had created history by becoming the first women in the history of the Army to have won the coveted ‘Sword of Honour’, awarded to the best cadet, in 2010 at the passing-out-parade ceremony at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.

The women contingents of Navy and Air Force marching proudly from Raisina Hill to the India Gate too left the crowd ecstatic.

Reenu Dabas, Gurgaon-based web designer, who had come along with her entire family to witness the occasion said, “Besides seeing President Obama, it was the idea of empowerment of women that delighted me more.”

“I, as a women, felt happy and proud to see the marching contingents from our gender. Also, the tableaux that spoke of saving girl child. It was an emotional moment,” she said.

With “Women Empowerment” being the theme of the 66th Republic Day, where US President Obama was present as a Chief Guest, tableaux showcasing the subject drew much attention.

The Naval tableau titled ‘Bhartiya Nau Sena aur Nari Shakti’ led by Lt Commander Swetha Kapoor and Lt Varthika Joshi portrayed the extraordinary accomplishments of four of India Navy’s women officers, who braved the vagaries of the seas and participated in an ocean voyage from Goa to Rio de Janerio onboard Indian Naval Sailing Vessel ‘Mhadei’.

Stories of conquests kept coming along as a tableau on women personnel summiting the Mt Everest drew perhaps the loudest cheer from the crowd, with many saluting the brave officers from the stands. .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign that seeks to stop female foeticide and promote girl child education too found resonance at the parade, as chants of “Badhayi Ho Beti Hui Hai” rent the air.

The tableau on the theme of ‘Bhavishya Hamara Hai’ by the Ministry of Women and Child Development was an instant hit and little girls could be seen in the crowd dancing to the tune of the background music played by it.

Delhiite Sonia Singh, who gave up journalistic career to take care of her kids, said, “The day symbolised the spirit of India and the spirit of the Indian women.”

“I brought my kids to the parade for the first time. And, they were already excited about seeing Obama. And, look, we all saw Obama. But, we also saw the marching women contingent and ‘Beti Bachao’ tableau. It was women empowerment on display all the way,” she said.

The girls’ NCC band added to the youth power, playing the tune ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha’ as First Lady Michelle Obama clapped and cheered along.

The National Service Scheme (NSS) marching contingent comprising 148 volunteers including boys and girls, dressed in grey uniform and sporting white feather, were led by Khushboo Narayan Joshi of the University of Mumbai, lending grace to the occasion while sending out a silent message of women leading the march.

The divine power of women was reflected in the CPWD’s ‘Maa Ganga’ tableau as it showed the origin of the holy river, considered the lifeline of north India, from Gaumukh.

Among other tableaux, the Ministry of Panchayti Raj showcased a model gram panchayat equipped with e-governance facility. The front of the exhibit showed a huge mock-up of a village woman using a laptop, a symbol of bridging of the digital divide to empower rural India.

Ministry of Law and Justice’s tableau depicted the fabled blindfolded ‘Lady Justice’ in shimmering white, holding the scales of justice, symbolic of the power of jurisprudence.

And, the tableau of the ‘Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana’ showed women standing shoulder-to-shoulder with men “scripting their destiny” with financial inclusion being the mantra, as envisioned by the government.

The railways too showcased the feminine power with figures of women working on laptops, excelling in sports and fronting the model of the bullet train in its tableau.

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