Ekta Nagar

The Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel has offered a bonding opportunity to thousands of police and paramilitary personnel, who overcame differences of region, language, cuisine and culture.

Ahead of the parade on Friday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present, these personnel from various states have been sharing food together and making some life-long friendships during their month-long stay together in preparation for the parade at Kevadia in Gujarat.

The National Unity Day parade will see contingents of the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), along with police contingents of Assam, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) will also have a contingent.

The event is being organised at the spot where the Statue of Unity, the 182-metre-tall statue of the nation's first deputy prime minister and home minister stands.

During the course of a month, the personnel have been in Ahmedabad and have been practicing in Kevadia for the parade for the last few days.

“We are making some great friendships. It gives us excellent opportunities for bonding with each other,” said Suman Nala, a 2021 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, who will participate in the parade.

The teams are not only trying to know each other’s language and culture but knowing each other’s cuisine too,” said Sriveda Anand, an Andhra Pradesh Police Service officer.

The teams have been relishing cuisine from other states as each contingent has brought its own cooks.

The police personnel also visited some tourist attractions of Gujarat during their month-long stay in the state.

“We will go back home with some fond memories and life-long friendships,” said Farhana Beigh, an officer belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The parade will also have CISF and CRPF women personnel performing martial arts and unarmed combat drills, highlighting the “strength and courage of India’s daughters.”

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is also known as the “Iron Man of India” for his role in bringing 562 princely states to join the Indian Union post-Independence. He was born on October 31, 1875, at Nadiad in Gujarat.

Nestled between the Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges, Ekta Nagar in Narmada district of Gujarat reflects the concept of unity in diversity, blending natural beauty with cultural richness.

The parade will also see PM Modi receiving a salute from 16 BSF personnel who were awarded gallantry medals for their participation in Operation Sindoor.

The parade will showcase a marching contingent of Indian breed dogs from the BSF, including the celebrated Mudhol hound Riya which recently won the All-India Police Dog Competition.

Rampur hounds and Mudhol hounds will demonstrate their skills at the event, which will include a spectacular air show by the Surya Kiran team of the Indian Air Force.

The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team was formed in 1996 and is among the very few nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, and the only one of its kind in Asia.

Ten tableaux from various states and union territories, including the NSG and NDRF, will reinforce the theme of unity in diversity at the parade.

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The parade will also feature a marching contingent comprising Indian-breed dogs of the BSF, Gujarat Police's Horse Contingent, Assam Police's Motorcycle Daredevil Show and BSF's Camel Contingent and Camel Mounted Band.