Sonorous Indian tunes wafted through the air on the evening of 29 January at the historic Vijay Chowk as military bands performed on the occasion of the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony marking the end of the four-day long 70th Republic Day celebrations.
On a cold, breezy evening of January, punctuated by a slight rise in mercury in the afternoon, as many as 27 types of musical performances by bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) enthralled the spectators who were left delighted at the grand display.
The ceremony started with the arrival of President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and the three chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force were present on the occasion besides a host of other dignitaries, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
This year’s highlight was Indian music. Nineteen of the 27 musical numbers were composed by Indian musicians. They were ‘Indian Star’, ‘Paharonki Rani’, ‘KumaoniGeet’, ‘Jai Janam Bhumi’, ‘Queen of Satpura’, ‘Marooni’, ‘Vijay’, ‘Soldier-My Valentine’, ‘Bhupal’, ‘Vijay Bharat’, ‘Aakash Ganga’, ‘Gangotri’, ‘Namaste India’, ‘Samudrika’, ‘Jai Bharat’, ‘Young India’, ‘Veerta Ki Misal’, ‘Amar Senani’ and ‘Bhumiputra’.
The remaining eight western tunes were ‘Fanfare by Buglers’, ‘Sound Barrier’, ‘Emblazoned’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert (Post Horn Gallop)’, ‘Space Flight’, ‘Drummers Call’ and ‘Abide with me’.
The event began with the national anthem and came to a close with ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.
The performances were conducted by 15 military bands, 15 pipes and drums bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions, and one band each of Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, the State Police and CAPF comprising Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police.
The principal conductor of Beating Retreat ceremony was Commander Vijay D’Cruz. The Army Military bands conductor was Subedar Parwinder Singh, the Navy band conductor was Master Chief Petty Officer Vincent Johnson and Air Force band conductor was Junior Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar.
The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands was Inspector Ganesh Dutt Pandey. Buglers performed under the leadership of Subedar Digar Singh and pipes and drums bands played under the instructions of Subedar Major Dev Singh Thapa.
‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. It has since emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded.
Beating Retreat is a centuries-old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat.