Cultural pageantry rolls down

Agencies

New Delhi, 27 January 2011: As tableaux based on the literary works of Rabindranath Tagore cruised down the Rajpath as part of the display put up by the Ministry of Culture, the mood at the Republic Day parade on Wednesday swung from a feeling of pride over the nation’s military might to admiration for its rich cultural heritage.

 

Poet Jayadeva’s Sanskrit literature Gitagovindam, a tribute to the eternal love between Radha and Krishna, was the highlight of the tableau of Orissa. Assam’s Ankiya Nat had dancers in the foreground, swaying barefoot to the music of the traditional theatre presentation. Maharashtra’s Lavani dancers were also well received.

 

The representation of Karnataka’s traditional handicraft, Bidriware, looked majestic in the winter sun, while Bihar’s Sufi tradition through the Maner Sharif took on a different dimension with the sufiana kalam, “Chhaap tilak, laying in the background.

 

A huge applause was heard for the Delhi tableau, which presented the “Cultural and Religious Harmony” of the city against the backdrop of the Old Fort, the Baha’i Temple and festivities that form an integral part of its cultural heritage.

 

 

Another hit was the Central Public Works Department’s tableau with the message “Save Tigers, Save our Earth.” The applause that followed the depiction of majestic tigers in their natural habitat confirmed the awareness in the minds of the masses of the cause of saving the tiger.

 

The Human Resource Development Ministry’s focus on Right to Education was also received well, as school-children swayed to ‘School chale hum’ with the belief that the RTE was the gateway to a promising future.

 

Towards the end, the tableau of the Ministry of Railways rolled in with a replica of the coach used by Rabindranath Tagore, in which he wrote many memorable poems.

 

The loudest applause was reserved for the National Bravery Award-winning children, who travelled in decorated jeeps. The children waved at the crowd and the cheering masses waved back. Twenty-three children were given awards, two posthumously, this year.

 

The dance pageant featuring 686 schoolchildren from across the country was a riot of colour, enthralling the audience with renditions of traditional Indian dances, including Dahal Thungri, Rangeelo Rajasthan, Bhangra, and Parbha.