On the morning of India's 75th Republic Day on Friday, President Droupadi Murmu and France's Emmanuel Macron travelled from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to be part of the grand parade at Kartavya Path.
For the short ceremonial trip, the two presidents rode on a colonial-era open air buggy and waved to crowds as they arrived at the destination ahead of the parade. After a gap of 40 years, the presidential carriage returned to the Republic Day celebrations, replacing the usual armoured limousine.
The History Of The Buggy
The six-horse drawn, black-coloured carriage with gold-plated rims, red velvet interiors and an embossed Ashoka chakra originally belonged to the Viceroy of India during the British rule. The buggy was used for ceremonial purposes and to travel around the presidential (then Viceroy) estate.
However, when the colonial rule ended, both India and newly-formed Pakistan vied for the luxurious buggy. To decide which country would keep the buggy, the two nations came up with a unique solution.
A Lucky Coin Toss
The two neighbours left the decision up to fate and chose simply to toss a coin. India's Colonel Thakur Govind Singh and Pakistan's Sahabzada Yaqub Khan flipped the coin. As fate would have it, Colonel Singh won the buggy for India.
Later, the buggy was used by the President to ride from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony. The carriage was also used to ferry the head of state to the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Kartavya Path to mark the end of Republic Day celebrations on January 29.
Several years after Independence, the use of the open-carriage, which was a common transport vehicle for the President, was discontinued owing to security threats. The traditional buggy was soon replaced by bullet-proof cars.
The historic buggy made a comeback in 2014 with President Pranab Mukherjee arriving in it to attend the Beating Retreat ceremony.
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