Brazilian president to be R-Day chief guest

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva will be the chief guest at this year's Republic Day parade, where two soldiers who died fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir will be honoured with the country's highest peacetime award, the Ashok Chakra.

Lieutenant Triveni Singh died fighting terrorists at the Jammu railway station on January 2; Commando Sanjog Chhetri was chosen for his bravery in Operation Sarp Vinash last year.

Delhi Area Commander Major General Thomas Mathew, who will lead the parade, said there are several firsts to this year's parade including a second cavalry unit, and a concept vehicle called Windy 505 developed indigenously by the army.

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The parade usually has only one horse-born unit, the 61 Cavalry, but this year the Army Service Corps is presenting another one.

The whole event is a logistical marvel, costing over Rs 400 million and involving over 4,000 soldiers and several thousand civilians.

The parade is an exhibition of India's military might and cultural diversity, said Gen Mathew, who will return to the parade exactly 40 years after he took part in it as a school student.

Gen Mathew said the parade would witness several marching contingents of the army, paramilitary forces, schoolchildren, National Cadet Corps and other government and state organisations. It will also showcase tableaux representing cultural diversity.

For the first time the army is putting up a tableau to commemorate its successful joint expedition to Mount Everest with the Nepalese army during the 50th year celebrations of the conquest of the mountain.

On display this year will be Russia-made T-90 tanks, several missiles such as Agni-I, Agni-II and the BrahMos cruise missile.

Bands from military and paramilitary units will add music to the show, while contingents of schoolchildren will present an array of dances.

The air force will present an air display, exhibiting its frontline, twin-engine fighters such as the Sukhoi-30.

The Delhi Fire Service will exhibit its new disaster management equipment, acquired in the wake of the war scare between India and Pakistan during Operation Parakram.