Watched my first R-Day parade as poor kid in 1972; today as mayor: Aggarwal

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal on Wednesday was emotionally overwhelmed while attending the Republic Day celebrations on Rajpath as he recalled his life 50 years ago when he, along with his father and sister, had attended the ceremonial parade for the first time when his family's ''financial condition was poor''.

On January 26, 1972, Aggarwal, sitting beneath a tree, had assisted his father in selling groundnuts at Rajpath lawns and see the Republic Day event from the sidelines amid a jostling crowd.

''On January 26, 2022, I sat in the VIP enclosure near the PM's enclosure, and life in a way came full circle. I was so moved emotionally, I tried to recall and locate that tree. The experience was humbling and my sister and rest of the family also felt very proud,'' Aggarwal told PTI after the parade.

Soon after the end of the grand event, the East Delhi mayor, accompanied by his wife, also took pictures with some Union ministers and senior BJP leaders.

''In 1972, everything was so crowded, but today it was a very less crowd as less number of people were invited due to Covid protocols. Watching India's military might, cultural heritage and especially the tableau of UP, which depicted Kashi Vishwanath Dham, really delighted us. Karanataka state tableau was excellent,'' he added.

Aggarwal went down memory lane and further recalled the Republic Day of 1972.

It is a matter of pride that on January 26, I attended the ceremony as a mayor after seeing the parade as a 10-year-old child who was selling groundnuts for survival, he said.

''In 1972, our family condition was not good, and I and my sister had gone to Rajpath, wanting to see the Republic Day parade. We had walked from our home in east Delhi to Rajpath and my father carried groundnuts on the cycle to sell them at the venue. I and my sister made packets which were then sold,'' Aggarwal said.

''Today, I and my wife came in a car, and while crossing ITO, those memories vane flooding back,'' he said.

It is an emotional moment that from selling groundnuts at the venue 50 years ago, ''I attended the grand event as mayor of east Delhi,'' he said.

The BJP leader, nearing 60, said the last time he had attended the parade was in 2017 when he was a councillor.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)