NEW DELHI: This year’s Ladakh tableau for Friday’s Republic Day march had young women playing ice hockey. Since all of the players on the Indian women’s ice hockey team are Ladakhi, the tableau with the theme “Empowering Women through Employment in Ladakh’s Journey” was selected. The trailer’s foreground included a Ladakhi village, symbolising the region’s dedication to improving living conditions by offering sustainable resources, energy, and education. And showed houses with solar panels, a symbol of the area’s forward-thinking projects, with kids studying in the bright light. The midsection of the trailer showed Ladakhis engaged in a range of economic pursuits, including the production of apricot jam, seabuck thorn juice, wooden crafts and an apricot tree. This accurately captured the ambitions of youthful, vibrant entrepreneurs aiming to create an innovative future for Ladakh. The last scene included a Ladakhi mountaintop, emphasising that Umling-La pass holds the title of being the highest motorable road in the world. There are also solar-powered LED street lights, wanderers caring for goats, and expert pashmina weavers. Female artists from every Ladakhi ethnic tribe, including the Ladakhi, Balti, Purgi, Sheena, Brokpa/Aryan, Changpa, and others, were showcased on both sides of the tableau. Using cultural tableaus and performances, as many as sixteen states and Union territories showcased the richness of their respective ethnic backgrounds. An all-female tri-service contingent marched in the parade for the first time ever.
