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| The Alamo. San Antonio Tx. USA. |
The drawing has nothing to do with the text below. I think I am flouting all rules of good blogging. I just cant abide by meaningful titles and related content. I am a maverick. Populist anarchy rules.*
The Republic day of India is a grand spectacle. The largest
democracy in the world celebrates the anniversary of its formation on the 26th
of January in the capital New Delhi.
India became a republic in 1950, three years after independence from
Great Britain.
There is a parade along the beautiful Rajpath, lined with
some of the most beautiful Government office buildings in the world. The British architect, Edwin Lutyens had
designed “New Delhi” in 1911 as the capital of British Imperial India.
The parade includes columns of the armed forces, floats with
new weapon technologies, all followed by a colorful display of the diversity of
people in India. Civilian and military
heroes are celebrated. The range extends from a schoolgirl who
rescued friends to soldiers dying in shootouts with Pakistani insurgents in
Kashmir.
While everyone seems to enjoy this spectacle in the beginning
of the year, some folks do have objections.
I for one, think that the colonial style horses and finery could be done
without. Same for the missiles and
tanks. Way too Socialist Eastern Bloc
kind of muscle flexing. The floats
celebrating the culture of the Subcontinent are great. And the TV commentary could
be a bit less flowery. Much less flowery. “Let us now turn our adoring
eyes upwards to the blue skies …”
* The President of India has asked citizenry not to indulge in "Populist Anarchy" this election year.
