New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) From oral transmission of knowledge to information dissemination through print, broadcast media and the wonder of cinema, India’s civilisation journey of storytelling has been showcased in the I&B ministry’s tableau for the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path.
Perhaps, the most iconic part of the float themed on ‘Bharat Gatha: Shruti, Kriti, Drishti’ is its rear portion, celebrating the old world charm of the silver screen through depiction of a classic box office of picture palace, a vintage camera and a hero and heroine holding an umbrella to complete the filmy scene.
A preview of the tableau that would be part of the 77th Republic Day Parade here on January 26 was held by the defence ministry at the Rashtriya Rangshala in Delhi Cantonment.
Thirty tableaux — 17 from various states and Union territories, and 13 from ministries and services — will roll down the Kartavya Path during the ceremonial event whose dominant theme this year is 150 years of ‘Vanda Mataram’.
Tableaux will be showcased by Assam (theme – Ashirakandi: The craft village), Gujarat (theme – Swatantrata ka Mantra: Vande Mataram), Jammu and Kashmir (theme – handicrafts and folk dances of J-K), West Bengal (theme — Bengal in India’s freedom movement), Uttar Pradesh (culture of Bundelkhand), and Rajasthan (Bikaner gold art — Usta art), among other states and UTs.
Besides Air Headquarters (theme – Veteran Tableau: Nation Building through War), Naval Headquarters (theme – Samudra Se Samridhi) and Department of Military Affairs (a tri-Services tableau on Operation Sindoor, Victory through Jointness), the Ministry of Culture (theme – Vande Mataram: The Soul-Cry of a Nation) will also showcase a tableau each. Sharing details about the making of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s tableau, a senior official said, it presents, from front to rear side, India’s civilisation journey of storytelling, starting through oral means.
“In ancient times, stories were transmitted orally, and then came the manuscripts, which were depicted in the front and middle portion respectively. And then came print media, the newspapers, TV, and of course, cinema. So, we have showcased these forms of storytelling,” additional secretary in the ministry, Prabhat, told PTI, during the preview.
A rotating structure carries a model of an old TV set with the classic Doordarshan logo glowing on its screen, a dish antenna, a banner carrying the label ‘AI’, while an installation on ground represents a vintage newspaper carrying old ads. Also, a mock-up printing setup shows the printing of a newspaper.
Behind it, a cubical structure, endowed with a facade that seems a homage to the classic single-screen theatres of yesteryears, which were also architecturally striking buildings, has been put up.
It carries ‘Box Office’, ‘Playing Now’ and ‘Coming Soon’ as marquee banners on all four sides.
On its back side, it carries the name WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit), a mega event that was held in Mumbai in 2025.
In front of the ‘Box Office’, a classic huge camera has been depicted through an installation, and it carries on its side an inscription “Bharat Gatha”. On the ground installations symbolising film reels, a reminiscence of the analogue era, have been depicted. PTI KND SKY SKY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.