IAF band enthrals crowd with Bollywood numbers
People were seen clicking selfies with the tableaux and selfie sticks were also on sale at the festival.
New Delhi: The Air Force band may have charmed spectators at the Beating Retreat and the Republic Day parade, but its performance on the final day of Bharat Parv got people dancing.
Departing from its routine, the band belted out Bollywood numbers such as Papa Kehte Hai Bada Naam Karega, Laila O Laila and Maston Ka Jhund on the Red Fort lawns on Tuesday. The six-day festival saw static bands of the Army, Navy and the Air Force performing for the crowd.
Moments after making people groove to the tunes of Scorpion’s classic rock number Holiday, the band master said: “Do you want to listen to some new songs?” Electrifying tunes of Laila O Laila followed. The remix of the 1980 hit from the movie Qurbani features in the newly-released Shah Rukh Khan film, Raees.
“I don’t regret not having seen the marching bands at the Rajpath. What is so exciting here is that you are getting to see a different side of them,” Preet Vihar resident Chetan Mehra said.
A number of folk dances and songs from Chattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Karnataka, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala also enchanted the crowd on Bharat Parv.
At the festival, people also had a chance to catch a glimpse of the tableaux of various states. The Arunachal Pradesh tableau on “Yak Dance,” which was adjudged the best tableau of this year’s R-Day parade, was kept right at the front.
The 68th R-Day parade saw tableaux from 17 states and Union Territories showcasing their varied historical, art, and cultural heritage. Each state focused on one particular theme — especially from the socio-economic viewpoint.
People were seen clicking selfies with the tableaux and selfie sticks were also on sale at the festival.
In the directorate of advertising and visual publicity’s (DAVP) pavilion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on demonetisation on the New Year’s Eve was being beamed on a big screen. But most visitors were glued to another screen where visuals of this year’s R-Day parade could be seen.
Many also chose to spend their time sampling various cuisines at the food court. “I loved the experience. There is a lot of variety here. The only downside is that the food stalls are only accepting cash,” DU student Ankita Sharma said, adding, “No digital India here.”