Meet the voices that breathe life into Republic Day celebrations

Some of the finest voices in the country have lent their voice to make Republic Day celebrations over the years memorable for millions across the country. And while they have had ample practice working for public broadcaster All India Radio, commentating for a momentous occasion poses some challenges, they told DNA, in the form of the elements or the sheer number of people.

Jainendra Singh, a programme executive with AIR, has been doing commentary for the Republic Day event for the last 18 years. He recalled how his effort to make listeners see the event was rendered difficult due to a haze.  “Once when Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, I had to completely rely on my past experiences for the commentary as nothing was visible due to the dense fog,” he said.   

For the last six years, Singh has constantly been commentating from India Gate, which is the starting point for the function. The Prime Minister, along with the chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, pays homage to the martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti before proceeding towards Rajpath.

It is a challenging task to commentate from India Gate, he said. “Commentary from India Gate is the most difficult as the voice has to go both to the live audiences on the public address system as well as on radio. I have to choose my words carefully. For example, when I am describing a scene, or the ambience, I have to make sure that the speech is understood by people sitting in their homes and those watching the event in person,” said Singh.

“Another factor that has to be kept in mind is the synchronization between acts and words. It should not be overlapping when it is being relayed live, because if it goes wrong, those who are performing can also get confused,” he added.

Singh also does commentary for the fly-past, which is the most interesting part of the parade. “Fly-past is very challenging for us because it requires us to speak at a high pitch and convey excitement so those sitting at home can feel the zest,” he added.

Ritu Rajput, who has been doing commentary for important official events including the Republic Day parade, said, “Our voice has to become the vision of listeners, which is why we have to use all our senses while giving commentary. Eyes, ears, nose, touch — everything matters while describing a scene to people sitting far away who are unable to watch the show live.”

“We have to change the expression of our voice according to the event. For example when a bravery award is being given to children , it is a happy occasion, so we show happiness, but sometimes it is also given posthumously, so we have to immediately change the expression of our voice,” she added.

The number of those who listen to the event over AIR goes up to a million in India and abroad, according to AIR’s own estimation. That makes this a huge responsibility for the commentators, they said.