Military might, colours of India unfold at R-Day parade

A cold and foggy morning failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who turned out Tuesday to witness India proudly displaying its military might and its cultural diversity at the 61st Republic Day parade.

The fog, however, meant that the customary showering of rose petals by three Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters flying in an inverted 'V' formation ahead of the parade rolling down Rajpath had to be cancelled but the fly past that concludes the show went through as scheduled.

The 110-minute parade also reinforced a trend that has been evident for the past few years in that where it was once a display of India's arms imports, the military hardware developed in the country is increasingly on display.

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