Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the chief guest for India’s 74th Republic Day celebration, which will be held on Thursday in New Delhi. On Wednesday, Abdel was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan following which he held extensive talks with PM Modi on bilateral ties.
Abdel is the first Egyptian top leader to become the chief guest for India’s R-Day celebration. India’s Republic Day celebration at Kartavyapath (formerly known as Rajpath) assumes immense significance in the country’s historic and cultural aspects. And a lot goes into deciding the chief guest for the day who is the head of the state.
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How is the chief guest chosen for India’s R-Day celebration?
Being part of Republic Day celebrations is the highest honour the country accords to the head of any state. The process of choosing and shortlisting the guest list commences nearly six months ahead of January 26.
Several factors are put in place in deciding the guest and the most important being India’s relationship with the country concerned. This analysis is done by the Ministry of External Affairs that sends the invitation, which symbolises the friendship of the highest accord with that country.
Political, commercial, military and economic interests of India are crucial drivers of the decision, with MEA seeking to use the occasion to strengthen ties with the country of the invitee in all these respects.
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Besides, another crucial factor of consideration that has played a significant role historically is the country’s association with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that began in the late 1950s and 60s. NAM was started by the then newly decolonised countries to steer clear from the Cold War. Hence, if we look back we see that the first chief guest of India’s R-Day celebration was President Sukarno of Indonesia, one of the founding members of NAM.
Based on these factors, once a curated guest list is decided by the MEA it gives its own clearance. Once the clearance has been sent, the Indian ambassadors in those countries communicate with the offices of the state’s head to book their schedule as they might already have other commitments. All of these are done with extreme discretion. Considering the availability of the states’ heads, the MEA considers multiple options for the same.
Once this step is finalised the guest is confirmed a mail outlining the protocols of the visit is sent to the states. This is prepared by the Chief of Protocol who details all the necessary protocols and the travel plans during the visit. Once this process has been completed, the territorial divisions in the MEA work towards the talks and agreements, while the Chief of Protocol continues to work on the details of the programme and logistics.
The chief guest of India’s Republic Day celebration is looked at as more than a mere ceremonial accord as this plays a pivotal role in furthering and strengthening the ties between the two countries.
