On one level, of course, it was just a parade. But as President Obama watched marching military units pass by at India’s annual Republic Day celebration on Monday, it served as a fitting geopolitical metaphor as well.

Overhead were Russian-made MI-35 helicopters and on the street in front of him were Russian-made T-90 tanks, a reminder of India’s longstanding ties to Moscow dating to the Cold War. Yet it was Mr. Obama in the seat of the chief guest as he used his visit here to cement stronger relations between the United States and India.

The parade was the visual centerpiece of Mr. Obama’s three-day trip, a colorful mélange of modern-day military hardware, soldiers in traditional turbans and costumes riding camels, and a series of floats from myriad states capturing different aspects of India’s rich and complicated cultures. The invitation to Mr. Obama to attend in the position of honor was an important diplomatic gesture.

While the weather proved rainy and dreary, Mr. Obama gave every impression of enjoying himself. He bobbed his head with the music and chatted amiably with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sitting to his right. He appeared to be chewing gum, probably Nicorette, which he uses as a substitute for smoking. Michelle Obama joined him, as did several members of the United States Congress, including Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, the House minority leader.

Mr. Obama’s decision to accept the invitation to be chief guest was seen here as a great tribute to India, heralded by politicians and the news media as a sign of the country’s importance on the world stage. An announcer told the crowd that it was “a proud moment for every Indian.”

The president’s presence required extensive security preparations, as he had not spent so much time outdoors in public in a foreign country during his six years in office. As is typical for outdoor events, he was seated behind bulletproof glass shields. Indian security was so tight that ballpoint pens were confiscated from reporters who showed up to cover the parade.

Republic Day is a major holiday in India, marking the day in 1950 when the country’s postpartition democratic Constitution came into force. Much of New Delhi was shut down, and as usual on the holiday, alcohol generally was not to be served.

While the military hardware underscored New Delhi’s ties to Moscow, Mr. Obama and the American delegation made clear that they want to compete for India’s defense dollars. Mr. Obama and Mr. Modi renewed the 10-year defense pact between the two countries on Sunday and agreed to cooperate on aircraft carrier and jet engine technology. They also agreed to work on joint production of small-scale surveillance drones.

“None of these things should be considered small in terms of just what it means for working together as two defense industrial bases and what we can share with each other in terms of lessons learned going forward, in terms of acquisition systems and what that means just for the general partnership over all,” said Philip Reiner, the president’s top South Asia adviser.

Indian analysts disagreed about the significance of the defense agreements. “It’s a huge step forward,” said Baijayant Panda, an Indian lawmaker who has long worked on issues involving the United States. “Irrespective of how this is viewed today, in a year or 10 months down the road, the defense relationship is going to be considered a huge success.”

Ashok K. Behuria, an analyst with the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, a research center based in New Delhi, said the joint projects were far more modest than those India has with Russia. “I would say they have lowered their ambitions; they have taken up only those issues which are realizable,” he said. “They are baby steps. Let’s hope they will succeed.”

That did not mean Russia was about to cede a lucrative, longtime market. Sergei K. Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, made a point of visiting last week just before Mr. Obama to discuss joint production of a light utility helicopter and to resolve disagreements about a long-delayed fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

India has been the world’s largest consumer of Russia’s arms industry, which was evident throughout the Republic Day parade, particularly with a series of flyovers by MIG-29 and SU-30 fighter jets. But balancing it out a bit were P-8 Poseidon naval surveillance planes made by Boeing.

After the parade, Mr. Obama was scheduled to attend a reception hosted by India’s president, Pranab Mukherjee, and to meet privately with leaders of the Indian National Congress party, the long-dominant force now in opposition since the Bharatiya Janata Party of Mr. Modi won enough seats in Parliament last year to form a governing coalition. In the evening, Mr. Obama planned to host a meeting of Indian and American business chief executives.

(The New York Times)