How Republic Day tableaux are designed a

Q Why is it in News ?

A Recently, West Bengal’s tableau for the Republic Day parade was rejected without assigning any reasons or justifications.

Q Who manages the R-Day Parade?

A 

• The Defence Ministry is the responsible authority for the Republic Day parade and the celebrations.
• Around September, it invites all the states, the UTs, Central Government departments, and a few constitutional authorities to participate in the parade through tableaux.

Q Which Department Manages Tableaux ?

A 

• The Defence Ministry shares the basic guidelines about what all the tableaux can or should include.
• The tableaux of two different states/ UTs cannot be too similar, as the tableaux, together, should showcase the diversity of the country.
• The tableaux cannot have any writing or use of logos, except for the name of the state/ UT/ department, which should be written in Hindi on the front, English on the back, and a regional language on the sides.
• The Ministry also asks the participants to use eco-friendly material for the tableaux, and avoid the use of plastic or plastic-based products.

Q How are the tableaux selected?

A 

• The selection process is elaborate and time-consuming.
• The Defence Ministry constitutes an expert committee of distinguished persons from fields like art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, etc.

Process of selection

(1) Submission of sketches

• First, the submitted sketches or designs of the proposals are scrutinised by this committee, which can make suggestions for any modifications in the sketch or design.
• The sketch should be simple, colourful, easy to comprehend and should avoid unnecessary detail.
• It should be self-explanatory, and should not need any written elaboration.

(2) Music and Visuals

• If there is a traditional dance involved with the tableau, it should be a folk dance, and the costumes and musical instruments should be traditional and authentic.
• The proposal should include a video clipping of the dance.

(3) 3D Models

• Once approved, the next stage is for the participants to come up with three-dimensional models for their proposals.
• These are again examined by the expert committee for final selection, taking in view several criteria.
• In making the final selection the committee looks at a combination of factors, looking at the visual appeal, impact on the masses, idea/ theme of the tableaux, degree of detail involved.

Q Do they have to be of a particular size?

A The Defence Ministry provides each participant with one tractor and one trailer, and the tableau should fit on that.

• The ministry prohibits use of any additional tractor or trailer, or even any other vehicle to be part of it.
• However, the participant can replace their ministry-provided tractor or trailer with other vehicles, but the total number should not be more than two vehicles.
• The tractor has to be camouflaged in harmony with the tableau’s theme, and the ministry stipulates a distance of around six feet between the tractor and the trailer for turning and manoeuvering.
• The dimensions of the trailer on which the tableau will be placed is 24 feet, 8 inches long; eight feet wide; four feet two inches high; with a load-bearing capacity of 10 tonnes.
• The tableaux should not be more than 45 feet long, 14 feet wide and 16 feet high from the ground.