Overview
- Officials confirmed the creative team with M. M. Keeravani as music director, Subhash Sehgal as lyricist, Anupam Kher as narrator, and Santosh Nair as choreographer under Sandhya Purecha’s direction.
- Rehearsals are underway on Kartavya Path for a large-scale performance featuring about 2,500 artists drawn from across India.
- The cultural segment will carry the themes “Swatantra Ka Mantra – Vande Mataram” and “Samriddhi Ka Mantra – Viksit Bharat,” with backdrops and floral tributes honoring Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
- European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend as chief guests, ahead of the EU–India Summit on 27 January.
- Around 10,000 people have been invited as special guests, enclosure names along the route will reference Indian rivers, and Beating Retreat enclosures will be named after Indian instruments.