PM Modi, French Prez Macron Attend Bastille Day Parade; Paris Lauds Indian Tri-Services Contingent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the Bastille Day parade as the Guest of Honour with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday. This year’s Bastille Day celebrations also included an Indian tri-services marching contingent.

The contingent was met with raucous applause during the march past to commemorate the French National Day. Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) also joined the flypast on the occasion along with French jets, news agency PTI reported.

“India, inspired by its centuries old ethos, is committed to doing everything possible to make our planet peaceful, prosperous and sustainable. 1.4 billion Indians will always be grateful to France for being a strong and trusted partner. May the bond deepen even further!,” Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet after the military parade.

His French counterpart Macron also highlighted the important role India has played in world history, calling the nation ‘giant’. “A giant in world history, with a decisive role to play in the future, a strategic partner, a friend. We are proud to welcome India as our guest of honour at the 14 July parade,” the French President said in a tweet.

Macron also took a moment to remember the Indian troops who fought alongside the French during World War I. It should be noted that Indian troops at that time fought under the banner of the British Empire’s colonial army.

“Indian soldiers fought at Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, the Somme and Passchendaele. Altogether, some 1.5 million were deployed in all theatres of World War I,” the British Library has said on its website.

The 269-member Indian tri-services contingent marched to the tune of ‘saare jahan se achcha’.

PM Modi saluted the Indian contingent as it passed the dais where Macron, he and other dignitaries were seated. News agency PTI in its report said that throughout the parade, the French President, Macron, was seen animatedly explaining to Modi the nuances of the traditional parade.

The French National Day, or Bastille Day, occupies a special place in the French consciousness as it commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison during the French Revolution in 1789. The Bastille Day parade is the highlight of the celebrations, the news outlet said.