The peace pipes were loud, but the jackboots were louder. Indias 51st Republic Day was more about guns than rose petals. There was more military hardware and Kargil victory floats on display than reflections on peace. And the most preponderant military aspect of the parade-through Rajpath on January 26, 2000-was an outdated expression of what constitutes the glory of a nation-state. The brandishing of ballistic missile technology and fire power, reminiscent more of the Soviet Union during the Cold War than of a country marching into an era of changed global realities.