Marking Silver Jubilee with Asean leaders in grand style

INDIA is going great lengths to mark its silver jubilee with Asean.

The Asean-India Commemorative Summit will coincide with its 69th Republic Day parade today, which promises to be a spectacle to remember.

Republic Day is celebrated every year on Jan 26 to honour the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950.

The grand affair will be held at India Gate, a war memorial that serves as New Delhi’s ceremonial centre.

In a first, the event will be witnessed by leaders from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singa­pore, Brunei, Myan­mar, Cambodia and Laos.

India has never invited more than two guests at a time for its Republic Day, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi touting today’s event as one “which will be remembered through the ages”.

Massive preparations have been made by 100-odd government agencies for the parade.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the other leaders will be present on a stage enclosed within a 30m wide bullet-proof glass barrier at Rajpath, the ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi.

The other Asean guests who have flown in include Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Philippine Presi­dent Rodrigo Duterte.

On display will be the nuclear-­powered nation’s military might as well as its cultural diversity.

And for the first time, a newly­

formed all-women’s biker contingent of the Border Security Force (BSF) will make its debut.

Security has been enhanced across the state capital, with the 10 heads of state staying in pairs in five specially selected luxury hotels.

Najib and Prayuth will be “Asean mates” lodged at the five-star Leela Palace Hotel, which is located in New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri.