Reviving a 250-year-old tradition on the 75th Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu along with chief guest Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, arrived on the Kartavya Path in New Delhi in a traditional buggy, which made a comeback after 40 years. The presidents were escorted by the President's Bodyguard – "Rashtrapati Ke Angrakshak", the seniormost regiment of the Indian Army.
This Republic Day is special for this elite Regiment as the "Angrakshak’ have completed 250 years of service since its raising in 1773 as well as for India’s old tradition where Murmu let go of the modern sedan in favor of a quaint horse-pulled buggy. Before Murmu, it was India’s former President Pranab Mukherjee who rode the horse-drawn buggy in 2014 while attending the Beating Retreat ceremony. Former President Kovind, who succeeded Pranab Mukherjee, continued the tradition of riding the buggy. He inspected the Guard of Honour in the presidential buggy after he took oath in 2017.
The gold-plated, horse-drawn buggy is a black carriage with the national emblem embossed in gold. The buggy drawn by a mixed breed of Indian and Austrian horses, has gold-plated rims and is extremely comfortable, according to a Hindustan Times report.
The journey of the buggy has a long-drawn, interesting history --- how it came from the Britishers to the Indians with just a flip of the coin.
Journey: Flip of a coin
During the British era, the buggy belonged to the Viceroy of India. After India’s independence in 1947, a row erupted between India and Pakistan regarding claims over the chariot. With no immediate solution and higher authority to decide on the row, India’s the-then Lieutenant Colonel Thakur Govind Sing and Pakistan Army’s Sahabzada Yaqub Khan took full responsibility for the fact that the ownership of the buggy would depend on a coin toss, according to an India Today report.
India won the toss and since then the buggy has been with India and the same has been used by several presidents on various occasions.
On what occasions was the buggy used?
Almost three decades ago, former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had used this buggy to reach the exit gate of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and from here, he took a car to attend the Republic Dat ceremony.
The carriage was also used by the presidents to pay homage to the Amar Jawan Jyoti during the R-Day celebration. Besides, the heads of the country used the buggy to move around in their 320-acre residential space.
Why did it stop being used?
The usage of the buggy was discontinued after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. The reasons for discontinuation have been mostly attributed to security concerns.
Over the years, as security has been ramped up, the buggy made a few special appearances during ceremonies with heavy security.
Media reports also suggest that the stable that was earlier used to house the horses have been disused and now the government have plans to turn that into a museum to showcase the history of Rashtrapatio Bhawan.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s usage of the buggy in 2014 had also courted controversy over security reasons.
