In 150th year, Kolkata port Trust brings its first Republic Day tableau

NEW DELHI: The Republic Day is just four days away, and various states, Union territories and central agencies are busy giving final touches to their tableaux for the morning parade on Rajpath. One of them is Kolkata Port Trust, the oldest operating port in the country celebrating its 150th year. For the first time, the port, which comes under the Union shipping ministry, will present its own tableau.
This year, 16 states and Union territories, and six central ministries will take part in the parade. The contingent will be led by the Chhattisgarh tableau highlighting its traditional crafts and ornaments. It will have an idol of Nandi — the mount of Lord Shiva — made out of bell metal at the front, while tribal folk artistes will perform Gaur dance, a traditional art form of the Maria tribe, on both sides.
Punjab’s tableau is dedicated to the humane principles preached by Guru Nanak as it’s the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh religion. Odisha will showcase the famous Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraja, worshipped as both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Meghalaya’s tableau will focus on the double-decker living root bridge, one of its main tourist attractions, while Jammu and Kashmir will showcase the new Union territory’s ‘Back to Village’ programme, launched last year to empower villages and panchayats.
Gujarat will bring Rani ki Vav: Jal Mandir (queen’s stepwell), an ancient engineering marvel that features on Unesco’s World Heritage Site list. Its preparation is being supervised by Pankaj Modi, younger brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A deputy director in the information department of Gujarat government, he said, “Rani ki Vav is the best example of Gujarat’s traditional means for water conservation that exhibits a unique combination of civilisation, culture and art along with an engineering marvel.”
Besides Meghalaya, Assam will be the other northeastern state to be present in the parade. Its tableau will display the state’s unique craftsmanship and culture through bamboo and cane crafts. Bhortal Nritya, a popular traditional dance form practised in the state, will also be displayed.
The glory of the heritage buildings and sites of Jaipur will be the theme of the Rajasthan tableau, which will be decorated with jaali jharokha to display the city’s magnetic beauty through markets, monuments and grand gateways.
The commerce ministry’s promotion of industry and internal trade department will present ‘Startups: Reach for the Sky’, which will showcase the life cycle of a startup and the all-round support provided by the central government in this journey. It will depict how ideas come to life and positively impact the lives of common people.