By Humra Laeeq

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Republic Day 2018 “would be remembered through the ages”. For the first time in 69 years, this year’s Republic Day will host 10 leaders from across South Asia, who will watch from within an enclosed 100-foot wide bulletproof glass dome. These are the leaders of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, India’s closest partners in trade, economics, and development. The invitations went out during the ASEAN-Indian summit in November last year.

Why the ASEAN?

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the formation of ASEAN and of India’s association with it. A commemorative summit based on the theme “Shared Values, Common Destiny” will also be held on the 25th of January to highlight Indian-ASEAN ties. With India’s ASEAN relationships showing significant growth between 1992 and 2017, the country has every reason to celebrate these international ties.

Participating in the Republic Day events will be foreign leaders President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Vietnam, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, General Prayuth Chan-o-cha of Thailand, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, the Sultan of Brunei, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos and Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia.

The preparations are in full swing

The preparations for this unique meeting of regional leaders are well underway. The traditional parade, the most cherished portion of the Republic Day celebrations, will witness participants not just from the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy, but over 700 students from the guest countries will also perform at the event. This year’s celebration is set to be very grand in terms of size, glamour, and funding. The country’s diversity will be represented by 23 floats, of which 14 will depict the different states and union territories. To represent India’s cultural richness, 61 tribal guests from across the country have also been invited. This year’s celebration promises to be a great display of the diversity of India’s culture at home and relationships abroad.

Featured Image Source: Flickr

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