Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s tableau may not be a part of the upcoming Republic Day parade at New Delhi for the third year in a row.
According to sources, the Ministry of Defence held an expert committee meeting in Delhi on Wednesday with officials of 14 states and seven ministries that would take part in the parade.
However, Odisha, whose tableau proposal was appreciated in the previous four meetings by the ministry, was not invited.
“The ministry does not communicate if a state tableau is selected for the parade or not. As this was the final meeting before the Republic Day camp begins at Delhi, we presume Odisha tableau is not part of the 2023 parade,” TNIE quoted a higher official of I & PR department as saying.
Notably, the state’s tableau has three components – a replica of the Mukteswar temple and its torana, Mahari, and Ghumura dance forms and a replica of the Konark Sun temple’s horse and chariot wheels. It is a representation of Odisha’s artistry, culture, and heritage and was designed by eminent artist Gajendra Sahoo along with a team of sculptors.
Sahoo also said that four rounds of meetings were held on December 15 where the experts spoke highly of Odisha’s tableau and suggested a slight modification in the music accompanying the tableau.
Following this, the music was later composed by Guru Dhaneswar Swain and Ajay Choudhury.
Meanwhile, the Director (Ceremonials) of the Ministry of Defence Mahendra Prakash Gupta said that it is premature to say if the Odisha tableau has been finalised or not as meetings over the Republic Day parade with different states are still on and the final list will be disclosed only on January 23.
