Republic Day: 26 January 2015

Republic Day was much more chilly and foggy than recent days.  We assembled in the spectators’ marquee early to get good seats: it was a good thing we did, it filled up fast with staff and students from the university, as well as local villagers and farmers. 

On Republic Day in every village, as well as at police stations, universities and other civic buildings, the Indian flag is raised and the anthem sung.  At BAU there was also a speech by the VC; a presentation of university medals; a parade with jhankeys (float) highlighting research by many of the university’s departments and the latest agricultural equipment; and performances by local school students.  

VC's motorcycle guards

The VC was escorted to the flagpole by smartly uniformed motorcycle guards.  After a very short series of manoeuvres by the university security guards (made much more enjoyable because they were not as well drilled as the solders who took part in the previous week's Army Day celebrations!) the flag was raised, the anthem sung, and the VC gave us his thoughts on Where BAU Is At (in Hindi) for thirty minutes.

Stubble burning

The parade started with jhankeys, each pulled by a tractor well decorated with flowers, from many of the university's departments.  Agronomy had solved the stubble-burning problem by putting the stubble on a separate sheet of corrugated iron and dragging it in front of their jhankey.  It was attention-grabbing and very effective.  On the jhankey itself were four scenes: a globe of the earth; an arid, droughted landscape; scientists measuring greenhouse gases (with chambers); and a verdant, greener landscape in which productive farming was possible.  The messages were repeated in infographics along the sides of the jhankey also.

The Agriculture Department's jhankey

Other departments which entered the parade included Soil Science (Arsenic is Bad For You); Horticulture I (Fruit Trees Bring Shade and Bounty); Horticulture II (Vegetables: An Income Stream); Entomology (Protect Bees, Get Honey); Plant Breeding and Genetics (GM!); Mycology (Fungus!!); Food Development Centre (Wine! Juice! Nector!) and several others.  They were all enthusiastically made, with clear messages, and it was a lot of fun watching them process.  The VC awarded the prize to the Agriculture Department: the first year they have won it.  Go Agriculture!

364 days of the year the bales are only straw coloured 

Lots of new agricultural equipment was paraded, all decorated with strands of flowers and flags.  On one harvester the garlands were a bit too close to the intake area: the ground after it passed was strewn with orange and white petals, like confetti!

There were many performances by local school children; one of the best was 12 boys, lined up (facing the VC) in height order and painted head to toe in the green, white and orange of the Indian flag.  They held coloured paddles and waved them in synchrony: even a side on view was very impressive.  It was still cold though, and the boys each only wore a dhoti: the paddles shook in a very pitiful way as they shivered through their performance.

The formal celebration concluded when the VC Released The Balloons.  Everyone walked over the road and across the train tracks to the guesthouse grounds, where small plates of snacks were being given out.  There were hundreds of people; I thought the grounds would be bustling for hours, but after about 20 minutes everyone had eaten a plateful and the crowd evaporated.  I gather most of the staff and students who'd spent lots of the previous two days (and nights) preparing their jhankeys had gone home for a nap.

Sweet (bottom and left) and savoury (top and right) Republic Day snacks.  The bottom squiggle is pretty much deep fried sugar: it makes a doughnut look healthy!

For much of the rest of the day short (15 over a side) staff v student cricket matches were played.  We had chai and watched the first one.  It was a lovely way to relax and celebrate Republic Day!