A salute to history: 80-year-old Mariamma recalls being an NCC cadet at 1960 Republic Day parade

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The platoon marched through the majestic Rajpath, stomping boots to the rhythm of "ek do ek..., ek do ek..." on a chilly morning. The cadets marched past the India Gate from the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hills.
More than six decades later, Mariamma George, now living a retired life at Kalathilppadi in Kottayam, still remembers that day. She could still hear the boots clomping and see in her mind's eye President Babu Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru receiving the salute.
The memories of that January morning are still fresh in the mind of Mariamma — Ammal Auntie to dear and near ones — who had led the platoon down the Rajpath. Age takes a backseat whenever she recalls the parade.
Mariamma George is the wife of JM Mathew of Kalathilppadi Chirayil House. She led an NCC platoon in the junior category at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 1960. She was one among the three girls in the platoon made up of children from across the country. The senior division, too, had only three girls. Mariamma was the lone girl from Kerala.
From class six onwards, Mariamma studied in the Balikamatom Girls School (now Balikamatom Higher Secondary School) at Thirumoolapuram on the Thiruvalla-Chengannur stretch of the MC Road. Born to EV George and Aachiyamma George of Valiyaparambil at Puthuppally in Kottayam, she had her primary education at a school near her residence.

Mariamma's father was the superintendent of the Glenmorgan Estate in Ooty. Her parents, keen on providing her with the best education possible, admitted her to the school at Puthuppally and later to Balikamatom.
The 15-year-old student, Mariamma, was keen on learning the veena, but soon became interested in the NCC. She discontinued the veena classes, and instead picked up the boots. The turning point in the NCC cadet's life came while attending the camps. Earlier, cadets for the Republic Parades were selected directly from such camps. Now, they are selected at the group level.
"I left for Delhi a month in advance. Rail infrastructure had not developed as we have today, and hence I took multiple trains to reach the national capital in three days," she recalled.
Mariamma does not remember where she had camped in Delhi. "The parade was from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. Initially, we marched short distances and later covered the entire length of the route. We practised daily. We also had a full-dress rehearsal ahead of Republic Day."
The cadet in Mariamma remembered that the participants reached the Rashtrapati Bhavan around 6.30 am on Republic Day. "We stood in a formation and started marching when the parade began. Each step was made with pride. My only prayer was not to commit any mistake since the whole country was watching. Once the platoon reached the designated spot, I turned and saluted the President. He returned the salute, and I was on cloud nine. The march ended after going past the India Gate," she said.
"The next day, we were invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for tea. The president showed us the famous Mughal Garden. He enthusiastically showed us around and spoke passionately. We met Prime Minister Nehru only once during the practice sessions and then on Republic Day. I had pictures of me saluting the President, but I lost them," Mariamma recalled from her photographic memory.
"I returned a week after the parade to a grand welcome at my school. It was then very close to the annual exam, and I feared that I would fail since I did not get enough time to prepare. But I passed. One of the first teachers of Balikamatom and teacher, Miss Brookesmith, encouraged me. She believed that women should be self-reliant. Last year, I went to the school with my son, and walked around," she added.
Mariamma pursued Library Science after completing her BSc and joined a college at Udumalaipettai in Tamil Nadu as its librarian. After marriage, she left the job and became a mother of two. Mariamma is also an excellent cook and expert in crochet. Her husband, JM Mathew, was the Executive Director of NABARD and the Director of the Bankers' Institute of Rural Development.
Her children, Madhu Mathew and Nisha Mathew, are abroad with their families.