More women leading: Lt. commander Aanchal Sharma commands the naval squad in the Republic parade

Lieutenant Commander Aanchal Sharma lead 96 young sailors and four officers of the Indian Naval Air Squadron 314 in the Republic Day parade at Delhi's Rajpath this year, to the patriotic tune of Jai Bharati.

She is a Lieutenant Commander in Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 314 and is an observer officer. Sharma, who was commissioned in June 2016, had said on January 22 that the enthusiasm and energy of the contingent is unmatched, and it is indeed an honor to lead it at the Republic Day parade.

At Wednesday's Republic Day parade, the Indian Navy displayed a tableau depicting the 1946 naval uprising that contributed to the country's independence movement.

On February 18, 1946, Royal Indian Navy sailors of the 'Talwar' ship began the uprising, which spread quickly to 78 ships.

The tableau on Tuesday reflected the navy's theme of 'Combat Ready, Credible, and Cohesive'.

The naval contingent comprised 96 men, three platoon commanders and one contingent commander.

As the nation is celebrating 75 years of Independence as 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the navy's contribution to the Indian freedom struggle had a special mention in the tableau.

In the forward part of the tableau, the naval uprising was depicted, while in the reverse part, the 'Make in India' initiatives of the Indian Navy were depicted, especially between 1983 and 2021.

The indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant was the star of the show. It was flanked by models of the indigenous missile corvette Kora, destroyer Visakhapatnam, frigate Shivalik on left and P-75 submarine Kalvari, frigate Godavari and destroyer Delhi on the right.

There were frames depicting indigenous construction of naval platforms on the trailer's lower section.
At the parade, the 72-men band of the Indian Navy was led by Vincent Johnson, Master Chief Petty Officer Musician and Hon Sub Lieutenant.

Watch |India's Republic Day: 75 aircraft to mark 75th year of Indian independence

The naval brass band played the Indian Navy's song 'Jai Bharati'.

Johnson led the naval band as a drum major. This was the 18th time that he was participating in the Republic Day parade.

(With inputs from agencies)