Four hundred soldiers from the Indian armed forces will lead the march past down historic Champs Elysees later Tuesday as France celebrates the beginning of its revolution more than 200 years ago with the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789. And watching the parade will be Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the first foreign leader to be accorded the honour.

Comprising the Indian contingents marching down the famed Champs Elysees will be soldiers of the Maratha Light Infantry, one of the oldest and most famous regiments whose history goes back 235 years.