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India celebrates 60th Republic Day





Images of India's rich cultural diversity and the might of its military were on full display on the magnificent Rajpath in New Delhi on Monday as the nation celebrated its 60th Republic Day amid an unprecedented security cover.

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mage: A replica of the Ilyushin-76 cargo aircraft can be seen behind a marching band.

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mage: A replica of the Ilyushin-76 cargo aircraft can be seen behind a marching band.

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Image: Indian Army's T-90 tanks roll down Rajpath.

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Image: Indian Air Force helicopters fly by, showering flower petals on the audience gathered at the Rajpath to witness the parade.

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Image: The mighty T-72 tanks of the Indian Army roll down Rajpath.

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Image: Folk dancers from Rajasthan perform in front of their state's tableaux.

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Image: A tableaux depicts the ship-launched variant of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile. Also on display are the other two variants of the potent missile.

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Image: Indian Army 'Daredevil' motorcycle riders put up a splendid performance.

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Image: An IAF Ilyushin Il-78 refueling tanker performs a flyover with two Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter jets during the parade.

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Image: President Pratibha Patil and Republic Day chief guest Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev wave during the Republic Day parade.

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Highlights of 60th R-Day parade

Following are some highlights of the 60th Republic Day parade in national capital New Delhi

    * Unlike previous years, there was no elephant ride for the bravery award winning children on Republic Day today because of 'security reasons'.

      The 19 children, who won the prestigious award, made their entry in five well decorated jeeps. One child was conferred the award posthumously.

    * In the form of tableau, the Railways presented the prestigious Jammu to Baramulla rail link project, which has been declared as a national project. The 345 km rail line, when completed, would boost the economic prosperity of the region.

    * The IAF displayed its air power in the form of a tableau IL-76 aircraft-mounted Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) that India purchased from Israel. The system is yet to be inducted into the IAF.

    * This year's parade was curtailed to one-and-half hours in view of the security situation in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks Only 12 states and six union ministries and departments presented their tableaux in the parade.

    * The Delhi Police marching contingent has a unique distinction of participating in the Republic Day parade ever since India became a Republic in 1950.

    * All eyes were on President Pratibha Patil's  spouse Devisingh Shekhawat, who was sporting colourful headgear.

    * With the UN declaring 2009 as the year of Astronomy, the department of Science and Technology in its tableau presented the advancements made by India in the field of astronomy.