(Photo: Doordashan)

India’s public TV broadcaster, Doordarshan (DD), laid on spectacular coverage of the country’s annual Republic Day parade on 26 January.

DD used 59 cameras to provide live coverage of the parade along Rajpath, one of New Delhi’s major roads.

They included a camera fixed on the dome of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President, and another on a 36-metre hydraulic crane in between the National War Memorial and India Gate.

The footage was carried live on all DD channels as well as on its website, its YouTube channel and its NewsOnAir app.

Apart from the latest military hardware, the parade featured performances by hundreds of dancers from around the country.

In the 75th year of India’s independence, the air force flypast featured 75 aircraft, old and new. For the first time, Doordarshan’s coverage included aerial coverage of the flypast including views from inside the cockpit.

DD also set up 360-degree cameras at key points to provide coverage that could be viewed live on special channels using VR headsets.

The Ministry of Defence described DD’s coverage as “not just mega in scale but also unique in features”.

Its coverage on YouTube was viewed more than six million times. One viewer wrote: “Many thanks to the entire DD team for bringing this programme to us.” Another wrote: “World class production by the DD team, especially the flypast.”