Tableau in Republic-Day parade in Delhi: City fails to make it to selection round

As per procedure, the best 25 themes from across the country, including states and ministries, showcasing India’s cultural diversity and military might are picked. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

PEOPLE WON’T get to see Chandigarh’s tableau in Republic Day parade at Rajpath in Delhi on January 26. For, the Chandigarh Administration has failed to make it to the final selection round in Delhi.

This year’s theme for which Chandigarh had prepared its tableau was the international doll museum. Before clearing the first stage, the national panel of Ministry of Defence had already asked the UT Administration not to come up with the repetitive concept of Le Corbusier’s Capitol Complex, Assembly buildings or Nek Chand’s Rock Garden every time.

Deepika Gandhi, one of the members who was part of the panel, said, “It is disappointing but we will try next time.”
For its tableau selection, Chandigarh had showcased two doll museums: the International Dolls Museum and Rag Doll Museum.

As per procedure, the best 25 themes from across the country, including states and ministries, showcasing India’s cultural diversity and military might are picked.

Initially, the UT Administration’s panel had gone with four to five themes, following which the jury members had stated that there has to be nothing which directly or indirectly makes a reference to Le Corbusier’s work or UNESCO world heritage or Rock Garden as it was being very repetitive. They said the administration should show something new about Chandigarh, following which the doll museum was zeroed in on but that too failed to impress the members.

So far, tableau of Chandigarh participated in the Republic Day function on four occasions. On two occasions, the theme was Rock Garden. In 2014, the tableau of Chandigarh depicting Rock Garden, a sculpture garden created by Nek Chand, participated in the parade after a gap of 13 years. Prior to that, all the proposals mooted by the administration failed to impress the national panel.

In 2015, the Ministry of Defence had rejected both the themes — works of Le Corbusier and Rose Festival — proposed by the administration for its tableau. However, in 2016, the tableau highlighting Chandigarh’s architecture, elements of green and smart city took part in the parade. In this year’s parade, Chandigarh couldn’t participate as it failed to conceptualise a theme on time.