Between 2005 and 2023, 285 state tableaux that took part in the Republic Day Parade on varied themes. Culture & Heritage was the most common theme with over 28% of the tableaux choosing this theme. Of the states, Jammu & Kashmir’s tableau was part of the parade in 18 of these 19 years except in 2021. The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950 with Dr. Rajendra Prasad unfurling the National Flag after a salute of 21 guns declaring India a Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state. Since then, every year, on 26 January, the nation celebrates Republic Day with great patriotic fervour. A series of events are organized in the national capital, New Delhi about which this story by Factly has explained in detail. Among other events, a cultural parade that involves tableaus and cultural performances from various states is held from Raisina Hill (near the President’s residence- Rashtrapati Bhavan), along Rajpath (now known as Kartavya Path), past India Gate. These tableaus depict state festivals, art, historical locations, flora and fauna, development works, personalities, and culture among others. In this story, we look at the historical trends in state tableaux. Data for this story has been taken from Factly’s Dataful portal. Ministry of Defence is primarily responsible for conducting national functions on Republic Day The Ministry of Defence is primarily responsible for the conduct of national functions like the Republic Day Parade (RDP), the Beating Retreat Ceremony in coordination with various executing agencies. The Ministry starts the selection process for tableaux by writing letters to all the Chief Secretaries/Administrators of state governments & union territories, central government departments, and a few constitutional authorities to participate in the parade. Relevant guidelines like theme, dimensions, facilities provided, initiatives to be included, etc. are provided in the letter. Long and complex process is involved in the selection of tableaux for cultural parade on Republic Day The states/UTs, ministries and departments send in their proposals with sketches and write-ups. An expert committee constituted by the Ministry of Defence consisting of prominent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, etc. evaluate the proposals and put forth their recommendations. Once the committee approves the proposals, participants come up with three-dimensional models of their proposals. These models are yet again examined by the committee for final selection. Visual appeal, impact, idea/theme, detailing, involvement of local artisans and music are some of the parameters that the committee looks out for. Annually, an average of 15 tableaux are selected from states, proportionately based on geographic zone The selection process is long and generally takes around 6 to 7 rounds of meetings among the committee members. Due to time constraints arising out of the overall duration of the parade, only a limited number of tableaux are shortlisted for participation in the parade. For instance, in 2022, only 12 out of 29 proposals from states/UTs were selected whereas, in 2021, 17 out of 27 proposals were shortlisted for the final parade. Moreover, the selection of tableaux from States/UTs is made on a zonal basis. States/UTs are categorized into six zones, namely Northern Zone, Central Zone, Eastern Zone, Western Zone, Southern Zone, and Northeastern Zone. Usually, about 15 tableaux from States/UTs are selected for the Republic Day parade, based on the proportionate ratio of each zone. On an average, there were 15 state tableaux in the parade between 2005 and 2023. Only 12 state tableaux were part of the parade in 2009 and 2022 while there were 18 in 2007. Themes in state tableaux have been categorized into 7 broad areas For analysing the themes in the state tableaux in Republic Day parades, we have categorized the themes chosen by the tableaux which were part of the final selected list into the following broad themes. Culture and Heritage is the most popularly used theme in the tableaux from states Of the 285 state tableaux that took part in the parade between 2005 and 2023, culture & heritage was the most common theme with over 28% of the tableaux falling in this category- Pattadakal of Karnataka, and Kotumsar Caves of Chhattisgarh are a few examples. Not far behind, tableaux falling under the theme of state specialty such as Navratri of Gujarat, West Bengal’s Durga Puja, etc. accounted for 25% of the total tableaux sent by states. Together, the two themes account for 53% of the state tableaux.