An honour for India in France

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proudly watched the Maratha light infantry march down the Champs Elysees. Inviting three marching contingents and a military band emphasising Paris's desire to increase its sphere of influence.

Inviting Indian soldiers to take part in the Bastille Day march for the first time shows that Paris wants to emphasise its close relations with India, an honour for India in France on Tuesday.

It is held each year on July 14, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress in Paris by revolutionaries in 1789, the symbolic starting point of the movement that led to the first French republic.

The French National Day celebrations witnessed an impressive parade in which a contingent of Indian soldiers also marched to the soul stirring music of Saare Jahan Se Achchha... Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja...

For a few moments you could be forgiven for thinking this was India's Republic Day and the India Gate lawns.

Except that this was Paris and in an extraordinary moment of pride for India, these are the men of India's armed forces marching down the always stunning Champs Elysees.

The four hundred soldiers who have been practicing for days now opened the French National Day parade - a symbol perhaps of India's emergence on the world stage.

And history appears to have turned full circle, almost a hundred years ago the Indian army served under the British command - nine thousand soldiers were killed in France and Belgium alone.

And Today the Maratha Light Infantry, one of the oldest regiments in the army is in the spotlight of honour.

So, were our soldiers nervous under the global gaze?

And there was always some time to freeze unforgettable memories in a photograph.

The atmosphere may have been carnivalesque but in city seeped in history, this was one more symbol of India's future.