The long range missile Agni V and a mini version of naval carrier INS Vikramaditya will among the many exhibiting India’s military prowess.

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee will take the salute of the march past. The King of Bhutan, India’s immediate and most strategic neighbour, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will be the chief Guest on the occasion.

The parade will be commanded by Lt. General Subroto Mitra, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. Major General Rajbir Singh, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area will be the parade Second-in-Command.

The advanced Long Range (above 5,000 km) Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile Agni V capable of being launched from anywhere in any direction and within a few minutes from a self-contained Road Mobile Launcher will be displayed and paraded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

This state-of-the-art missile, which was successfully flight tested in the month of April last year, has provided the true deterrence capability and brought India at par with the elite group of advanced countries possessing this capability.

A mini version of INS Vikramaditya which will join the Naval fleet by the end of this year will be showcased to highlight Indian Navy’s blue water operating capability.
The DRDO will also put on display the Armoured Amphibious Dozer (AAD), an indigenously developed versatile Combat Engineer support equipment with excellent earth moving and amphibious capabilities in varied terrain. Besides Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) System and Naval Sonar will also be on display.

The weaponry to be put on display by the Indian Army includes the Main Battle Tank ‘Arjun’, APC Ambulance tracked, the only Super Sonic Cruise Missile Brahmos Weapon System, Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) Recce Vehicle, Sarvatra Bridge, Mobile Integrated Network Terminal (MINT) and Radio Trunking System Mk-II (RTS Mk-II). The Army's Mechanized Columns will conclude with a flypast by the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv of the Army Aviation Corps.

The Indian Air Force will showcase its latest acquisitions on its tableau. It comprise the new basic trainer aircraft, the Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II and the new VIP helicopter, the Augusta Westland AW-101. It will also showcase the indigenous ‘eyes in the sky’ atop the Embraer 145, Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and the strategic heavy lift aircraft, C-17 Globemaster-III, which will enter service by the middle of this year.

The Indian Navy’s tableau will display a scaled down model of INS Vikramaditya, a large aircraft carrier which will join the naval fleet by the end of this year. The ship is capable of sustaining at sea for more than 45 days at a stretch. It is also equipped to carry over 30 combat aircraft at any time giving her the freedom to operate and strike anywhere at sea. The Navy’s tableau will also focus on INS Chakra, a nuclear propelled submarine.

The parade ceremony will commence at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate where the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will lead the nation in paying homage to the war heroes martyrs by laying wreath. An eternal flame - Amar Jawan Jyoti – burns to commemorate the indomitable courage of our Armed Forces personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. The Amar Jawan meaning the immortal soldier, is symbolised by a reversed rifle topped by a helmet.

As per tradition, after unfurling of the National Flag, the National Anthem will be played and thereafter the R-Day parade will then commence.

The parade will be commanded by Lt. General Subroto Mitra, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area. Major General Rajbir Singh, Chief of Staff, Delhi Area will be the parade Second-in-Command.

Param Vir Chakra winners Sub Maj (Hon. Capt) Bana Singh, 8 JAK LI, Naib Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers and Havaldar Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK RIF and Ashok Chakra Winners Maj Gen CA Pithawalla, GoC, Andhra Sub Area, Lt Col Jas Ram Singh (retd), Major D. Sree Ram Kumar, 90 Field Regiment, Hon'y Naib Subedar Chhering Mutup (retd), Jammu, Shri Hukum Singh and Shri Govind Singh, both from district Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh and Shri Bhure Lal of district Guna, also from Madhya Pradesh will follow the Deputy Parade Commander on Jeeps.

The marching contingents of Army will include the horse-mounted columns of the 61st Cavalry, Mechanized Infantry Regiment, Maratha Light Infantry, Dogra Regiment, Garhwal Rifles, Ladakh Scouts, 8 Gorkha Training Centre, Army Ordnance Corps and Territorial Army (Punjab).

The marching contingents of Navy comprising 144 men will be led by Lt. Commander Ajay Kumar Verma and the Air Force contingent comprising 144 men will be led by Flight Lieutenant Heena Pore. The marching contingents of paramilitary and other auxiliary civil forces will include contingents from the Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Coast Guard, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Railway Protection Force, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme. The Camel-mounted band of the BSF and the Ex-Servicemen marching contingent will be another major attraction.

Tableaux from 19 States and Union Government Ministries and Departments will present the varied historical, architectural and cultural heritage of the country. They will also showcase country’s progress in different fields. Twenty one of the 22 children selected for the National Bravery Award–2012 will also participate in the parade. One child has got the award posthumously. In the children’s pageant section, 1,000 boys and girls drawn from Delhi's two schools, one school from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and one from Eastern Zone Cultural Centre, Kolkata will present dances and other programmes.

Tornadoes, the motorcycle display by the Army Service Corps will be a major attraction of the parade. The tornadoes team consists of 135 riders on motorcycles performing Standing Salute, Ladder Balance, Fish Riding, Back Riding, Long Arm, Verma Lotus, ASC Special, Balance Seat and Fish, Sudershan Chakra, Balance Ride Standing, Ladder Lotus and Human Pyramid forms under the leadership of Major SS Rathore. They will perform breathtaking stunts in a synchronised and synergetic display of mind, body and machine coordination.

The grand finale of the parade will be a spectacular flypast by the IAF. The flypast commence with ‘Chakra’ formation, comprising three Mi-35 helicopters in ‘Vic’ formation, followed by the Hercules formation comprising three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in ‘Vic’ formation.

Trailing them will be a Big Boy formation comprising one IL-78, flanked by two AN-32 and two Dorniers. Next in line will be the fighters, - while five Jaguars will fly in Arrowhead formation, another five Mig-29 air Superiority Fighter called the “Tridents” will fly in Fulcrum style. Then the breathtaking Trishul formation comprising three Su-30 MKI would fly over the Rajpath and once in front of the saluting dais the Su-30 MKI aircraft will split upwards, making a Trishul in the sky. The flypast will conclude with another Sukhoi Su-30 MKI carrying out a Vertical Charlie manoeuvre over the saluting dais.

Among the tableaux to be displayed by the States, that from West Bengal will pay humble tribute on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the thinker-patriot-saint of India.

Uttar Pradesh will depict the scene from the famous ‘Latthmaar Holi’ where the women of Barsana area are trying to fend off the ‘gops’ of Nandgaon region of Brijbhumi.

Meghalaya will showcase the entire ‘Hundred Drum Festival’ within its framework. Wangala dance is performed to the beat of the ‘Dama’ (drums) with the accompaniment of Rang (gongs), Adil (horns) and other local instrument.

Karnataka will depict Kamadhenu, the Goddess cow of Indian mythology. The trailer portion will display ‘Dwarapalaka’ the guards who stand on either side next to the dancing doll. At the end will be Gramadevata which is worshipped as people believe that it brings them good harvest.

Jammu and Kashmir will display the story of Pashmina wool which connects different regions of the State. It has also been part of the international trade and heritage. The tableau depicts the cloned goat and the pashmina-making process.

Jharkhand will depict the famous Dokara Art of the State. It reflects the social, economic, religious and natural life style. The front portion will show the beautiful craft such as Elephant, Scorpion, Deer and Bull.

Himachal Pradesh tableau is will be led by a Kinnauri girl sporting ceremonial dress and jewellery. The middle of the tableau will have the “Rath of Devta” – the palanquin of the deity studded with masks made by local artisans in gold and silver.

Kerala tableau will be a miniature of the State’s landscape and shows a single-bedroom houseboat of Kerala that are used for cruising through the backwaters.

The tableau of Chhattisgarh will depict the cultural prosperity, architectural expertise and religious tolerance of ancient Sirpur. Shiva, Buddha and Jain temples will be displayed in the front of the tableau.

Odisha’s tableau will be based on the Chandan Yatra of Lord Jagannath. The trailer part of the tableau will depict the procession of Chandan Yatra, which starts from Lion’s Gate to Narendra tank amid hymn, bhajan, kirtan, mridanga, ganta with deities in bimans.

The tableau from Rajasthan will present the Chitrashala of Bundi. Chitrashala of Bundi is situated in the Fort of Bundi in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan. The fascinating pavilion in chitrashala will showcase the famous traditional art of Bundi School of miniature paintings.

The front portion of the tableau from Tripura will depict a part of the ‘Sangrai Festival’ where Mog women will be shown in colourful dress, waving umbrellas and fans of different colours and shapes. Trailer part will depict the various parts of the festival. At the end of the trailer famous Mahamuni Pagoda- a Buddhist shrin of mog community – will be displayed.

Bihar tableau will show ’Kalash’ made of beautifully dyed Sikki grass. The trailer portion of the tableau will artistically display beautiful baskets, animals, birds, dolls, toys, and other various decorative items made of the sikki grass.

The tableau for Delhi will seek to project the National Capital as the cultural hub of the country, where performing arts and fine arts come together as red letter events.

The tableau of the Central Public Works Department ( CPWD) will display flower depicting the cycle of seasons (Ritus) like Vasant Ritu, Grishma Ritu, Varsha Ritu and Sharad Ritu. The whole tableau is crafted by beautiful and vibrant colourful fresh flowers.

The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs will portray the tribal art through various art forms by different tribes emphasizing their socio-economic development.

‘More Coach per coach’ will be the theme to be presented by Indian Railways in their tableau. Organizational effort is to increase the carrying capacity of an inter-city train by more than 50%.

The tableau of the Union Ministry of Social Justice will portrays persons with disabilities as equal citizens of the nation enjoying all fundamental rights and freedom in an inclusive society.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in its tableau will present the central idea of the tableau is Cinema Mayur Pankhi – a symbolic representation of the mythical birdboat. The tableau will be led by the traditional Indian way of beginning an Indian shoot – the Muhurat shot.

The ceremony will culminate with the National Anthem and release of balloons.