Bhubaneswar: After bagging first prize at the 75th Republic Day Parade last year, the Odisha tableau will not feature during this year’s Republic Day Parade in New Delhi January 26. Official sources said that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) rejected the state’s tableau proposal for the January 26 parade at Kartavya Path after five rounds of the selection process.
Instead, it will be showcased at ‘Bharat Parv’, which is part of the Republic Day celebrations, being organised from January 26 to 31 near the Red Fort. Tableaux of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura, Uttarakhand. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Union Territories of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Chandigarh will participate in the Republic Day parade, sources added.
A total of 34 states and Union Territories had sent their proposals to the expert committee, comprising eminent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, constituted under the MoD for consideration. Mizoram and Sikkim had expressed their inability to participate this time, while officials of Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with Lakshadweep did not turn up for the expert committee meeting. Notably, Odisha tableau was adjudged the best among states at the national level Republic Day Parade last year for highlighting women’s involvement in the handicraft and handloom sector, empowering themselves. Odisha tableau rolled on R-Day Parade last year after a gap of three years.