The government had said that the Republic Day celebrations will now be celebrated for a weekNew Delhi: India’s military might, cultural diversity and varied unique initiatives will be showcased as President Ram Nath Kovind leads the nation on Wednesday in celebrating the 73rd Republic Day.The celebrations this year are special as India is in the 75th year of Independence – being celebrated as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.To mark the occasion, the Ministry of Defence has conceptualised a series of new events during the parade on Rajpath, and the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Saturday (January 29).The government had said that the Republic Day celebrations will now be celebrated for a week – between January 23 and 30 – every year. The celebrations now start on January 23, the birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and end on January 30 – observed as Martyrs’ Day.According to the Ministry of Defence, for the first time, an Indian Air Force (IAF) will show grand flypast by 75 aircraft or helicopters.A drone show by 1,000 indigenously developed drones has been planned for the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony, along with projection mapping will be shown for the first time.In another first, 480 dancers will perform during the cultural programme at the parade have been selected through a nationwide Vande Bharatam dance competition.Get NDTV UpdatesTurn on notifications to receive alerts as this story develops.