This year, Indian tunes will be the flavour of ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony, here tomorrow. As many as 27 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk will enthral the spectators with captivating and foot-tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). Out of the 27 performances, 19 tunes have been composed by Indian musicians, which are ‘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 8 western tune will be ‘Fanfare by Buglers’, ‘Sound Barrier’, ‘Emblazoned’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert (Post Horn Gallop)’, ‘Space Flight’, ‘Drummers Call’ and ‘Abide with me’. The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.

The ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29th every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. This year, 15 Military Bands, 15 Pipes and Drums Bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in Beating the Retreat ceremony. Besides one each of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force band will also form part of the event. Another band of the State Police and CAPF comprising Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police will also take part.

The principal conductor of Beating the Retreat ceremony will be Cdr Vijay D’Cruzwhile Army Military bands conductor will be Sub Parwinder Singh and the Navy and Air Force band conductors will be Master Chief Petty Officer Vincent Johnson and Junior Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar respectively. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Insp Ganesh Dutt Pandey. Buglers will perform under the leadership of Sub Digar Singh and pipes and drums bands will play under the instructions of Sub Maj Dev Singh Thapa.

‘Beating the Retreat’ has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded. The 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. ‘Beating Retreat’ marks 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. Colours and Standards are cased and flags lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by.

Nampi/Rajib