Brigadier Sawant – Voice of the Republic Day Parade

VIVEK SHUKLA

Today, millions of people will witness the Republic Day parade passing through Kartavya Path in the capital. Similarly, crores of Indians will watch the parade on their TV sets. But this time, those watching the parade on TV will not hear the live commentary from Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant. He provided the live commentary for the Republic Day parade from 1980 to 2023.

When Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant used to provide the live commentary on radio or TV, describing the valour of the three wings of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces to the audience, it would give everyone goosebumps. Brigadier Sawant passed away last year.

Brigadier Sawant was skilled at creating visuals with his voice. When he presented the entire atmosphere to the listeners, they felt as if they too were watching the Republic Day from Rajpath or the Red Fort. His commentary was never dull or monotonous. Excuse me, Brigadier Sawant was not one of those commentators who would only tell which regiment of the army is now coming on Rajpath or who is in command. He would go much beyond that. After listening to him, the listeners would connect with him forever.

The renowned newsreader Devkinandan Pandey used to say that the language of a good commentator should be such that it is easily understood by the audience. They should avoid complex words and sentences. They should pronounce the words correctly so that the listeners have no difficulty in understanding. In this regard, Brigadier Sawant was unparalleled. He avoided using the same kind of language. He brought diversity to his language while giving live commentary and used idioms.

When the army contingents started coming on Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath) during the Republic Day parade, the commentary would be in the hands of Brigadier Sawant. After that, in his calm and serious voice, he used to speak about the achievements, history, heroes, etc. of the army contingents. His knowledge of the army and the country's war strategy was unmatched. It is hard to remember whether Brigadier Sawant ever made a mistake while giving commentary, from the use of punctuation to the pronunciation of words.

Brigadier Sawant always gave commentary with full enthusiasm. Like any good commentator, he had control over his speaking speed. He knew that the commentator should present the parade like a story so that the audience remains interested in the event. Listening to his commentary, a strong relationship developed between him and the audience.

He was also deeply knowledgeable about India's independence movement. He has also done commentary on several independence day ceremonies. He was also a scholar of Chinese language. The Indian Army sent him to America to learn Chinese language after the 1962 war with China. The modulation of his voice was excellent.

Brigadier Sawant had never even dreamed that he would one day do radio commentary. Actually, Brigadier Sawant, born in Ayodhya in 1934, became a teacher after completing his M.A. in English Literature from Allahabad University. He taught for two years. But his goal was to join the army. He was very impressed by the discipline of the army and the soldier's uniform. While working as a teacher, he passed the Indian Military Academy (IMA) exam and joined the Indian Army. This was in 1959. In this way, a major dream of his life came true. Three years later, in 1962, he was bravely fighting against China. After that, he was also giving the enemy a tough time on the battlefield in the wars of 1965 and 1971.

While in the army, Brigadier Sawant used to conduct programs of his unit in both English and Hindi. His conduct of programs was also well-liked. His command over both the languages also impressed the audience. But he had never thought of gaining fame as a commentator. However, in 1971, All India Radio started a program on the Indian Army.

Its name was 'Fauji Bhaiyon ka Karyakram' (Program for Soldier Brothers). The army sent his name to All India Radio to present that program. While there, he became a seasoned broadcaster. He also interviewed Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. After Doordarshan started, he was called there too to conduct army programs.

Brigadier Sawant gave live commentary for Doordarshan for the Republic Day parade continuously from 1980 to 1997. After that, he continued to give commentary on Republic Day for several private news channels.

Brigadier Sawant also did commentary for dozens of films related to the Quit India Movement and the army. Rajshekhar Vyas, a renowned filmmaker who has been associated with Doordarshan for a long time, said that he made a film on the Quit India Movement of 1942 with Brigadier Sawant. He did not just do the commentary. He also used to make the listeners aware of many untouched aspects related to the subject in his commentary. Indeed, the enriching commentary of Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant will continue to be remembered on every Republic Day. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 89.

(Email: vivekshukladelhi@gmail.com)