Come fly with me: Heartfelt harmony

The sight of an Indian man wearing a bandanna showcasing the England flag to warm his head on a crisp morning would not be so peculiar any other day of the year, but when this flag caught my eye on the morning of the Republic Day of India in Delhi, in Rajpath, with the main Republic Day procession about to commence … well let's just say it woke me up. My head turned once again to inspect the bandanna — was it really the England flag? — and to view the eager face of the man sporting this flag. I marvelled at his absolute unawareness about the strangeness of his head-warming gear at odds with his absolute focus on the patriotic display that was now beginning. Not one person in the crowd surrounding him was staring at this headpiece. It made me wonder, but I guess at the end of the day, it was a mere something to keep his head warm. And who had the time to notice he wasn't wearing the tricolour. This was, after all, a day that summoned any patriotic nerve that might have been lying dormant for the past year, a day to feel proud of the country's achievements, to celebrate her assortment of cultures and take a moment to remember what India has been through.

It had been rather a long wait, longer only because I was so very cold sitting out in the open before the sun had decided to show his kind face, with no phone, no food, no drink. An hour or so later, when the celebrations finally began, a few rays flickered and heated my back slightly. And then it all felt a bit brighter.

It happened to be India's 63rd Republic Day, which commemorates the adoption of a democratic constitution on January 26, 1950. It was the first I had ever attended. While the showcase of military and air power, displays of the rich heritage of the various states, missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, was certainly impressive, it was the line-up of patriotic songs being played in the run-up to the procession that, for me, was most emotive, striking that patriotic chord. And the other thing that struck me was the adept and most gentle way in which the security addressed and handled the crowd, so different to what I had expected, but then the crowd, which included a good number of children, was well behaved.

Bandana, songs, the cold and the crowd … and the column space has already run out. What about the jets and aircraft doing somersaults, helicopters sprinkling marigold petals on the crowds and the fantastic sweepers and bin-men — a part of the parade, as important in society as any dancer or soldier — cleaning swiftly behind the horses? I will just have to save that for another time.

— For more from Meera Ashish log on to www.talefourcities.com