India celebrated its 77th Republic Day with great pomp today on 26 January 2026. A grand parade was held on the duty road of Delhi, in which a beautiful glimpse of the country’s military strength, cultural diversity and progress was shown. The special attraction of this year’s parade was ‘Operation Sindoor’, a recent important and successful action of the Indian Army.

PM Modi became emotional after seeing the tableau

Prime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional during the parade. When the Indian Army helicopter carrying the flag of ‘Operation Sindoor’ passed over the duty path, PM Modi immediately stood up from his seat. Seeing this, it seemed that the memory of Operation Sindoor and his deep respect for the brave soldiers of the army are in his heart. He also informed the chief guests about this very carefully. He explained in detail about the bravery of the army and the cultural diversity of the country.

Air Force created ‘Operation Sindoor’ formation

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa were present as chief guests. Indian Air Force jets also formed ‘Operation Sindoor’ formation in the parade, which was very impressive. The entire program showcased the story of the country’s unity, strength and development, and also celebrated 150 years of the song ‘Vande Mataram’. PM Modi being emotional and standing touched everyone’s heart. There is an atmosphere of pride and enthusiasm across the country today. This parade not only showcased the strength of the army but also showed how India always remembers its martyrs and brave soldiers.

Theme of main parade based on Vande Mataram

The Integrated Command used in Operation Sindoor demonstrated. 29 aircraft including Sukhoi-Rafale participated. Sundown and MI-17 helicopters showered flowers on the duty path. Earlier, President Draupadi Murmu had hoisted the national flag and was given a 21-gun salute. After this, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was awarded Ashok Chakra. This ceremony lasted for about 90 minutes. This time the theme of the main parade was kept on Vande Mataram. During the parade, 30 tableaux were taken out on the duty path. It was based on the theme ‘Mantra of Independence-Vande Mataram and Mantra of Prosperity-Self-reliant India’.

India celebrated its 77th Republic Day on 26 January 2026 in a very grand and emotional manner on the duty path in Delhi. This parade lasted for about 90 minutes and there was something special in every moment. It showed a beautiful glimpse of the country’s military strength, cultural diversity and progress.

‘Vande Mataram’ the focus of the parade

The main focus of the parade this year was the celebration of 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’. Which had two big mantras:

• Mantra of Freedom: Vande Mataram- The spirit of the country’s freedom struggle and the Constitution was shown.
• Prosperity Mantra: Self-reliant India- a story of indigenous weapons, technology and progress.

In the parade which started at 10:30 am, the first 100 artists performed culturally on ‘Unity in Diversity’. 4 Mi-17 helicopters passed over the national flag and showered flowers. Seeing this everyone’s heart became happy.

President Draupadi Murmu took the salute of the parade

President Draupadi reached the duty path in Murmu Buggy along with chief guests European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This was the first time that two chief guests were present on Republic Day. PM Modi welcomed him, paid tribute to the martyrs at the National War Memorial and spoke to the audience.

Operation Sindoor was the heart of the parade

In May 2025, the Indian Army carried out Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. In this, India had carried out a joint attack against Pakistan supported terrorists, which was shown in the table of Tri-Services (Army, Navy, Air Force). In this parade, weapons used in Operation Sindoor i.e. BrahMos supersonic missile, Akash air defense system, MRSAM, Apache AH-64E helicopter, Prachanda LCH, Dhanush cannon, ATAGS, S-400 air defense system and for the first time hyper-sonic glide missile were shown. Many animals including drone power, glacier ATV, bulletproof dogs, raptors (eagles) and Bactrian camels were involved.

Air Force created special ‘Sindoor Formation’

A total of 7 fighter jets including 2 Rafale, 2 Sukhoi-30, 2 MiG-29 and 1 Jaguar were seen. This formation was not just aerial, but emotional and traditional. This was to give the message of ‘Operation Sindoor’. In this, Dhruv helicopters in ‘Prahar Formation’ hoisted the flag of ‘Operation Sindoor’. A total of 29 aircraft did the flypast, which included Rafale, Jaguar, MiG-29, Sukhoi, C-295 transport and helicopters.

What happened for the first time in the 77th Republic Day Parade?

This time a total of 6,065 participants took part in the parade. 2,500 artists and 10,000 special invitees were present.

• 18 marching contingents demonstrated. This includes Rajput Regiment, Assam Regiment, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Artillery Regiment and Sikh Light Infantry etc.
• For the first time, 9 women Agniveer joined the Agneepath band. A band of total 72 members played the tune ‘Sound Barrier’.
• For the first time, 13 military bands and the EU military contingent participated.
• Army showed live war display for the first time.
• 2 Humped Bactrian Camels, Advanced Surveillance Dog Unit and Raptors participated in the parade for the first time.

India-China Relations: On India’s 77th Republic Day, Chinese President Xi Jinping has given a positive and friendly message regarding India-China relations. He said that India and China are not only good neighbors but also friends and partners. According to Xi Jinping, strong relations between the two countries are necessary for peace and prosperity not only in Asia but in the entire world.

According to China’s official news agency Xinhua, President Xi Jinping also wished President Draupadi Murmu on Republic Day. He said that mutual cooperation between big countries like India and China helps in maintaining global stability and strengthens the way to move the world forward.

Jinping said this

Xi Jinping said that China has always believed that it is in the interest of both the countries for India and China to move together as good neighbours, friends and partners. Explaining in simple words, he said that the relationship between India and China should be like a dragon and an elephant dancing together, that is, both should move forward together.

The Chinese President also expressed hope that in the coming time, both the countries will increase mutual dialogue, connect more with each other and work together. He also said that if both the countries understand and resolve each other’s concerns, then India-China relations can become stronger, balanced and stable.

Relations deteriorated after the 2020 clash

It is noteworthy that in the year 2020, there was tension in India-China relations after the death of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers in the skirmish on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). After this, both the countries had increased military deployment on the Himalayan border. However, since last year, efforts to bring relations back on track through high-level bilateral meetings and visits between the two countries have intensified. This statement of Xi Jinping is considered important in this context.

Astro Photo Gallery

A very special tableau will be seen on the duty path in the Republic Day celebrations being celebrated after Operation Sindoor. In this joint tableau of the three wings of the army i.e. Army, Air Force and Navy, it is shown how the Pakistani Army was brought to its knees within just 88 hours. In this tableau of the Integrated Defense Staff (IDS) Headquarters, air strikes on the headquarters of Pakistan-run terrorist organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba are shown through Rafale fighter planes on the night of 6-7 May.

Air Commodore Manish Sabharwal, the IDS officer associated with this tableau, told in a special conversation with ABP News that during Operation Sindoor, all three parts of the army played their respective roles. In such a situation, a joint tableau of all three parts of the army is being presented.

The attack carried out by BrahMos in Pakistan will be shown

Apart from Rafale, BrahMos missile fired from Sukhoi fighter jet is also shown in this tableau. The barbed wire between India and Pakistan has also been shown. On the other side of the barbed wire, an attack by BrahMos on a Pakistani Air Force base has been depicted. F-16 fighter planes of Pakistani Air Force stationed at this air base are shown burning in smoke. Just like the Pakistani F-16 taken from America was destroyed by the Indian Air Force by attacking Pakistan’s Bholari airbase.

S-400 air defense system in tableau

The tableau also depicts the S-400 air defense system, which shot down a reconnaissance aircraft of the Pakistani Air Force 300 kilometers away. The model of this reconnaissance aircraft has also been included in the tableau. Akash missile and other counter drone guns are also shown in the tableau, which within three days had shot down about 900 drones of Pakistan from Siachen to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Rann of Kutch (Gujarat).

Israeli weapons will also be visible

The way India destroyed Chinese air defense by attacking Pakistan’s radar station with Harpi and Harop Loitering Munitions taken from Israel during Operation Sindoor, is also a part of this tableau. Alarmed by the attacks by the Indian Air Force, Pakistan had appealed for a ceasefire on 10 May 2025. After the ceasefire appeal, India had stopped Operation Vermillion, but had made it clear that if Pakistan again carried out any terrorist incident like the Pahalgam massacre, then Operation Vermillion would be launched again. This means that if Pakistan dares to provoke again, it will not be spared.

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, NCC, school children and tableaux of states participate in it. Full dress rehearsal is the last and most important preparation before Republic Day.