Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join France's President Emmanuel Macron for the French National Day celebrations as the Guest of Honour in Paris on Friday.
Modi is in the French capital for an official two-day visit.
The French National Day, or Bastille Day, occupies a special place in the French consciousness as it commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison during the French Revolution in 1789. The Bastille Day parade is the highlight of the celebrations.
A 269-member Indian contingent, comprising Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, will participate in the parade.
Modi will grace the Bastille Day Parade, meet the president of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet and will attend a series of interactions with thought leaders and businesspeople, said a release issued by the Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai.
Modi will be the second Indian Prime Minister to participate as a guest of honour at the French National Day celebrations after Manmohan Singh in 2009.
To mark the ocassion, Consul General of France in Pondicherry and Chennai Lise Talbot Barré will present Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres to Carnatic vocalist Padma Shri Aruna Sairam and flutist Shashank Subramanyam.
She will also present Chevalier des Palmes académiques to Dr George Rajan, coordinator for French with the ministry of education of Pondicherry.
