Of Umbrellas, Caps and Patriotic Songs (R-Day Sidelights)

New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) With the rain playing spoilsport, the dignitaries gathered at Rajpath to witness India's 66th Republic Day parade were forced to wear caps and take cover under umbrellas and raincoats.

US President Barack Obama, the chief guest at the parade, and wife Michelle were seated in a roofless bullet-proof glass enclosure along with President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and his wife Salma and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As it started to drizzle, officials with huge, black umbrellas and members of the support staff standing next to them sprang into action.
While the Obamas held their own umbrellas, the Indian dignitaries and leaders attending the ceremony had their better halves or their official staff holding the cover for them.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also held her own umbrella. Two seats away, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah was seen taking shelter under an umbrella held by his wife.

Kiran Bedi, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate for next month's Delhi assembly polls, wore a raincoat.

Many dignitaries also donned caps to protect themselves from the cold and drizzle.

Mukherjee and Ansari sported fur caps, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and senior BJP leader L.K. Advani wore golf caps while Modi wore a traditional and colourful Rajasthani headgear.

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Modi's Swachh Bharat stumbles at Rajpath

Had Prime Minister Narendra Modi peeked into the enclosures erected in front of him at Rajpath when the 66th Republic Day parade concluded, he might have been forced to rethink the prospects of his pet Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India campaign.

Soiled sheets of newspapers, pamphlets (carrying details of the parade details) and polythene bags that had been used by the crowds to clean their seats and cover their heads during the morning drizzle were littered all around the VIP enclosures as the function ended.

Many of the chairs lay toppled while the seats of almost all of them had shoe marks and sludge on them as the crowd had stood atop them minutes before to catch a glimpse of the departing dignitaries.

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'We Love Obama'

The camaraderie between visiting US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have rubbed off on Delhiites as well. When Obama reached Rajpath to attend the 66th Republic Day parade, the crowd climbed atop their chairs to catch a glimpse him and his ride - The Beast.

The crowds cheered, clapped and waved at Obama and his wife Michelle. The Obamas too waved back, much to the delight of the crowds.

A group of young men even had a huge yellow-colored poster with the message - We Love Obama, with a red heart signifying love.

In fact, the highly publicised Modi-Obama 'chair pe charcha' on the verdant lawns of the Hyderabad House Sunday was a hot topic of discussion among the audience as they waited for the parade to begin. Most of them had gathered since early morning, braving the rain and the January chill.

The friendly warmth and camaraderie between the two leaders again evident during the two-hour parade.

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When the weather god smiled

It was a wet, gloomy start to the 66th Republic Day celebrations here as sporadic overnight rain that continued in the morning threatened the festivities as well as dampened the spirits of the people.

The crowds gathered for the function were a worried lot as the security personnel did not allow umbrellas inside the venue due to safety concerns and the light drizzle could very well have turned into a heavy shower.

But much to their relief, half an hour into the parade, the rain stopped and the dark clouds that had been hovering overhead dispersed and later enabled them to witness the flypast by the Indian Air Force.

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A dose of patriotism

It may have been a cold, foggy and wet Republic Day morning but the people who packed the stands, some of whom had walked for several kilometers to reach Rajpath, were in a patriotic mood.

Despite the long queues at the entrances, the crowds raised slogans like "Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" at regular intervals. Some of them had small paper tri-colours pinned to their shirts and tops while others had tri-coloured scarves wrapped on their heads and around their necks.

Adding to the feel, were soul-stirring songs like "Yeh desh hain veer jawano ka" and "Mere desh ki dharti" that blared out of the address system.

However, the show stealers at the end of the celebrations were the saffron, white and green balloons that were released into the sky from different corners of Rajpath.