New Delhi
The Republic Day Parade 2025 will be a unique blend of India’s cultural diversity and military prowess, with special focus on 75 years of enactment of the constitution and Jan Bhagidari.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the Chief Guest at the parade. As many as, 31 tableaux from various States, Union Territories, and Central Government Ministries/Departments will participate, showcasing the theme “Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas.” The event will conclude with a flypast by 47 aircraft.
The 75 years of enactment of Constitution of India is the focus of Republic Day Celebrations. Two tableaux during the parade will showcase the celebration of 75 years of constitution. Floral decorations, view cutters will be depicting the theme. Balloons at the end of the program will be released with the banner of this message. Quiz and essay competitions were also held on MyGov on this subject.
To honour their contributions in nation and society building, persons from different walks of life are invited as Government’s Special guests to witness the event. These guests are achievers and best performers in their respective area and are the architects of Swarnim Bharat. For RDC 2025, approximately 10,000 Special Guests in 34 categories, including the Sarpanches from villages excelling in key government schemes have been invited as Special Guests.
Two Standout Tribal Invitees
Raman Rajamannan:
The only tribal king in Kerala, he will participate in the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi. The king of the Mannan community, Raman will be the first tribal king in the country who will be attending the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi.
Kerala’s Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes O.R. Kelu handed over the invitation letter to the king and his wife Benumol. The SC/ST Department will meet the travel expenses of the king and his wife from Idukki to Delhi and back home.
“This is an honour for not just me, but the entire community across India as we believe that the country is recognizing our efforts to preserve the well-being of the communities and our culture which is more aligned with nature. I hope through this invitation more youngsters from our community will be recognized for their skills and the Governments at the State and the Centre will stand along with us for the various issues we are raising,” said Raman.
“During our visit we will also meet few senior officials in the SC/ST department where our issues will be raised”, Raman asserted.
During the visit, the king and his wife will meet President Droupadi Murmu and other senior dignitaries in Delhi and will return to Kerala on February 2. The duo will also visit Agra, and other historically important places in Delhi.
The Central government had confirmed the participation of Raman and had conveyed it to the State SC/ST Development Department following which the king was formally conveyed to him.
The Mannan community is mainly settled in the buffer zone area of the Idukki wildlife sanctuary at Kozhimala, which is the hub of the tribe with 48 settlements ruled by a king, the only such community in southern India. The King is an integral part of the traditional functions and festivities of the community. The king wears a turban and special dress on such occasions and will be assisted by 2 ministers and soldiers during the functions.
Raman took control of tribal leadership after he earned a degree in Economics degree and wanted to safeguard their historical traditions. He functions as the ceremonial chief leader responsible for tribal ceremonies. The 12 ministers (kaanis) and 7 assistants from settlements assist the King in his duties.
The king leads his council to keep the forest intact and help the tribe stay rooted in its traditional ways while handling today’s changes.
‘At Home’ Invite From The President Of India
Ritika Tirkey:
The first female tribal Senior Assistant Loco Pilot of the Vande Bharat Express took an email invite for the ‘At Home’ reception from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to be fake, only to pleasantly discover later that it wasn’t when a formal invitation was delivered to her by a team of post office officials. The invite was delivered to Ritika’s residence at Jugsalai in Jamshedpur by the postman under the supervision of Assistant Postal Superintendent (West) Parikshit Seth.
Ritika, who was left speechless and overwhelmed with President Droupadi Murmu inviting her, said, “It is an honour that a tribal girl from a simple family has got this unique opportunity. The Rashtrapati Bhawan has invited me as a ‘woman achiever’ and I believe that every woman should be independent. I think women have been working in almost every field, and where they have not, will reach very soon.
The ‘At Home Reception’ event is held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Republic Day from 4 pm. A special of invitation is sent by the President to the guests to attend the special event. The invite includes a badge, car pass and also artwork of the craftsmen.
Ritika shot to national fame when she, along with her senior SS Munda, initiated the journey when the Prime Minister flagged off the Vande Bharat Express on September 15 last year. Ritika’s train was one of the six Vande Bharats flagged off simultaneously by the PM.
She drove it from Tatanagar to Gomoh, approximately191 kms at a maximum speed of 130 kmph. She stopped at all the scheduled stations enroute till her official duty ended.
A qualified Mechanical Engineer from the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ritika hails from tribal-dominated Gumla district of Jharkhand. As a kid, she shifted to the Mander block of Ranchi district for her school education. Her father, Lutiya Bhagat, worked as a forest guard here. She was enrolled in St Anna’s Girls School, where she studied upto Class X. Thereafter, she did her Plus Two at Ursuline Inter College here and finally, secured admission to the B. E. (Mechanical) course at BIT, Mesra.
However, it was her choice of profession following her Engineering degree that left one and all amazed. Instead of trying to find a job in any MNC or a reputed company, she decided to do something that is rarely even imagined by most: To operate a train.
With a “spirit of adventure in her”, she applied for the Assistant Loco Pilot’s job, notified by the Railway Recruitment Board, Ranchi in 2018 and was selected in 2019. After completing nearly four months of training in Gomoh, she was posted in Chandrapura. Initially, she brushed her skills running goods and short distance passenger trains.
In 2021, she was transferred to Tatanagar, where she gradually started operating mail and express trains and where she lives with her husband. While it was in March, this year, that she was promoted as a Senior Assistant Loco Pilot rank, it was only a few weeks ago that she was selected for the Vande Bharat crew and given special training.
