The Spirit of Republic Day Parade

It has been always my greatest ambition to view the Republic day parade or Independence day parade at New Delhi . However the distance from Kerala to Delhi counts. I was even keen to go to Delhi only to view this spectacular event.

The main issue with gaining an entry was that the awareness levels of residents & localities .They were clueless. And nobody is bothered to find out a way. And some one even commented , "Are civilians allowed to watch Republic day ?". I dont know what resulted comment. And most of them wanted to see the R'day Parade , if somebody take them there , but was eager.

However my quest & will, got the doors opened and got the tickets. I was not sure though on how long I was going to be in Delhi. Thankfully my career demanded my presence here . And this uncertainty made me to get tickets on the closing day 2 days before.

We started from our source in early morning and amid huge enclosure of fog. The speed was below 5kmph. And once we reached Delhi , there was a huge security cover and so many check points. We had to wait another 1-1.5hrs standing before the gates were opened. And believe me you will find a lot of people walking down the roads braving the cold & missing a perfect sleep.

Spirits

Spirit One : Masses of people anxiously waiting early morning without any hiccups to get gates open

Spirit Two : People who came from across culture , states , religion , caste converging in one place

Spirit Three : The spirits are such that you dont know how much time you have spend unless you keep check on watch

Spirit Four : The most excited are the kids , their patriotism really rocks, look into their eyes and you can see the dream come true situation. As we wished to . They dont even mind sitting in sand, dust , grass, wet land to get a closer watch .

Spirit Five : There is always a female presence in the masses as well as in the parade , contingent of NCC girls , sports persons , Bravery award people , Band .

Spirit Six : When a mother points to the Women Cadres, her daughters pride gets escalated to great level . And you can see the spark on her eyes and the smile.

Spirit Seven : People of all ages , culture , diversity mingling & giving their full support to the soldiers , talents , bravery award winners, floats etc.

Spirit Eight : The President & Prime Minister & Guests arrive the venue waving their hands to the public and public greats them . Their faces and the joy they carried were clearly visible, even though they were inside the security proof vehicles and escorts.

Spirit Nine : Well thats it, no more points