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India is celebrating its 72nd Republic Day today. The national flag was unfurled at Delhi's Rajpath in presence of President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other VIPs including Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
PM Narendra Modi continued with his routine of wearing colourful turbans on the occasion of the country's Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. The PM donned a colourful 'paghdi' which was gifted to him from the royal family of Gujarat's Jamnagar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wearing 'Halari pagh', a royal head turban gifted to him by Jamnagar Royal Family for today's Republic Day event.
Taking to Twitter, Jamnagar MP Poonaben Maadam expressed her pride on seeing Modi wearing a "Halari Paghdi' from Jamnagar" as the place is "known for its rich culture".
PM Modi has always displayed an affinity for headgears. During the Republic Day celebrations last year, he had donned a saffron 'bandhej' headgear with a tail paired with a kurta-pajama and jacket.
Likewise, on Independence Day last year, he was seen in an orange and yellow safa (Rajasthani headgear) with a long trail.
The first time PM Modi made an appearance in a bright headgear was in 2014 when he delivered his first Independence Day speech as the Prime Minister.
PM Modi laid a wreath at the National War Memorial today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier took to Twitter to greet Indians all over the world on the occasion of India's 72nd Republic Day.
He wrote, "Wishing all the people of India a Happy #RepublicDay. Jai Hind!"
This year's Republic Day celebrations were different from the earlier celebrations owing to the pandemic. With safety protocols in place, the celebrations were missing the gravity-defying stunts by motorcycle-borne men, as well as the huge crowd of spectators. This year spectator size had been cut down to 25,000 from around 1.25 lakh last year. The parade of children who receive bravery awards were also missing.
Rafale fighter jets took part in the Republic Day flypast for the first time. The armed forces displayed its T-90 tanks, the Samvijay electronic warfare system and Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets on the Rajpath as part of the celebrations. A total of 32 displays- 17 of various states and Union Territories, nine of ministries and six from the defence arm - were seen in the parade. Among these, the displays of Ladakh were included for the first time after becoming a Union Territory post Jammu & Kashmir's bifurcation in 2019.