Goose Stepping to the Water

Taken on 25 October 2010 at A1 Plaza, NH5, Nellore.

Every time I travel southwards from Nellore city, I visit the A1 plaza on NH 5. I love the gaggle of geese that roam the gardens there. There are four in all now and are a treat to the eye.

Yesterday, it had rained, and the little puddles in the paved drive-in gave me some great photo opportunity. They marched towards a puddle in front of the car and as they marched in, their Goose-step was better than the Wagah or London display!

The goose-step is a special marching step usually performed in formal military parades and other ceremonies. While marching in parade formation, troops swing their legs in unison to a nearly horizontally position while keeping their knees locked. Originating in Prussian military drill in the mid-18th century, the step was called the stechschritt (literally, "piercing step") or stechmarsch. In many armed forces, this step has been modified into a lower angle raise the legs.

At the Attari-Wagah border at sun-set, the retreat ceremony takes place with the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) on the Indian side and The Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side putting up a well co-ordinated and spectacular display of the Goose step which compares very favorably with the changing of royal guard in London.

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