At 4 am, troops roared their war cry!
In the long running tradition of the armed forces, soldiers seek the blessings of the Goddess before setting out on their mission -- in war or peace.
The Republic Day parade is one such mission.
'Even if one person is motivated to join the armed forces seeing you on Republic Day, you have done a good job,' Captain Karanveer Singh Kumbhawat, commander of the Assam Rifles marching contingent, tells 146 participating members of the group in his booming voice.
The officer joined the Indian Army in 2020 and served in Rajouri, Kashmir, and Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh before being posted on a two-year deputation to the Assam Rifles, the country's oldest paramilitary force which safeguards the India-Myanmar border.
The contingent arrived in New Delhi on December 26 from its area of operation in the North East after a two-day journey on the Rajdhani Express train.
The group also comprised 11 instructors commonly known as 'Ustads' in the forces. These are formidable and experienced military men who train personnel in drill and march past and make the contingent practice till they are perfect.
"They are hard taskmasters and form the backbone of the army. They nurture and chisel us," says Captain Kumbhawat, who first marched down Kartavya Path as a NCC cadet in 2014.
"One of the Ustads finally smiled yesterday and we finally felt that yes -- we are ready now."
The Assam Rifles also has a separate marching band contingent which includes both man and women.
The day before Republic Day
On the day of the final dress rehearsal, the contingent was up at 2.30 am on January 24.
At 4 am they took part in a mandir parade and roared their war cry 'Durga Mata ki Jai'. In the long running tradition of the armed forces, troops assemble to seek the blessings of the Goddess before setting out on their mission -- in war or peace.
A thorough dress inspection was carried out to see that everything was perfect. Everything from the uniform to the medals, rifles, accoutrements, lanyards, cummerbunds, gloves, anklets, laces, boots to haircut are put through strict scrutiny.
"Everything has to be properly secured. Not even a button or medal can be out of place during the vigorous movements of the parade," explains Captain Kumbhawat, a Jaipur native who hails from a martial race in Rajasthan.
The contingent is accompanied by 30 administration staff that include barbers, tailors, cooks, cleaners, orderlies to maintain the horseshoe plates on the boots etc -- all these men ensure that everything functions with clockwork precision.
The contingent arrived at Vijay Chowk at 5.30 am after going through a detailed security check.
The mandatory warm-up was conducted which includes drill, flat foot march which helps in synchronisation and kadam taal.
"This prevents fatigue from setting in during the 10 km marching route," says the officer.
"The final rehearsal was like the actual parade. There were spectators along the entire route, the only exception was that there was no chief guest."
Then comes Republic Day
The contingent will start the parade at 10.40 am and march for three hours. The first 10-minute break will come after 6 km at Vijay Chowk where energy-boosting refreshments like nuts, jiggery and sweets will be served.
They will resume marching for another 4 kms and culminate at India Gate at 1.30 pm. The troops will carry out some stretching exercises and a debriefing will be held along with a weapon check.
Tea, halwa etc will be served before the contingent heads back to their temporary accommodation in Delhi cantonment. That night a bada khana -- a celebratory dinner -- will be held which will be attended by all officers and personnel.
The Assam Rifles troops have trained hard every day for the past few months and are hoping to win the award for the best marching contingent this Republic Day.
"The nation watches us on TV screens for just half a minute because that is the time it takes to cross the saluting dais but we train for months for it."
"A lot of hard work and discipline goes into it -- in front and behind the scenes. A lot of people from the North East will be in audience along with folks from the rest of the country," says Captain Kumbhawat whose parents will be among the spectators.
"I am confident we will put up a great show."
SEE: Assam Rifles marching contingent all set for Republic Day
SEE: Assam Rifles practice on Kartavya Path at dawn
SEE: Troops celebrate after a hard practice
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
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