Bowler-hatted impersonators mark Chaplin birthday.
ADIPUR, India (AP) -- Canes in hand and bowler hats atop their heads, Charlie Chaplin impersonators tramped through the streets of a small port town in western India to celebrate the birthday of the Hollywood silent-film legend.
Chaplin has an odd resonance in this industrial town. Surrounded by salt flats bordering the Thar desert, Adipur's only claim to fame is the annual parade - now in its 40th year - to honor the filmmaker and comic actor known for his "Tramp" character.
More than 100 people participated in the parade that included brass bands, camel carts and open jeeps carrying life-sized cut-outs of Chaplin. Men and women dressed in crumpled black suits and carrying canes practiced the cheerful bowlegged walk of the Tramp as the parade made its way through the streets.
"Charlie Chaplin is our hero. Every year we celebrate his birthday with a parade," said Ashok Aswani, founder of Charlie Circle, a club that has been celebrating Chaplin's birthday since 1973.
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