The iconic Vijay Chowk in New Delhi will resonate with captivating Indian melodies on January 29, as the Beating Retreat ceremony brings the 77th Republic Day celebrations to a ceremonial close. Bands from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will perform an array of stirring and foot-tapping compositions before a distinguished gathering of national leaders and the public.
The ceremony will be attended by President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, senior Union Ministers, top officials and invited guests.
The musical evening will commence with the Massed Bands performing the iconic march ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’. This will be followed by melodious renditions from the Pipes and Drums band, including ‘Atulya Bharat’, ‘Veer Sainik’, ‘Mili Jhuli’, ‘Nritya Sarita’, ‘Marooni’ and ‘Jhelum’. Bands from the Central Armed Police Forces will present compositions such as ‘Vijay Bharat’, ‘Hathrohi’, ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘Veer Seepahi’.
The Indian Air Force band will enthral the audience with tunes like ‘Brave Warrior’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert’ and ‘Flying Star’, while the Indian Navy band will perform ‘Namaste’, ‘Sagar Pawan’, ‘Matribhumi’, ‘Tejasvi’ and ‘Jai Bharati’. The Indian Army band will then take centre stage with powerful compositions including ‘Vijayee Bharat’, ‘Aarambh Hai, Prachand Hai’, ‘Aye Watan, Aye Watan’, ‘Anand Math’, ‘Sugamya Bharat’ and ‘Sitare Hind’.
In the concluding segment, the Massed Bands will play ‘Bharat Ke Shaan’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Drummers Call’, before the ceremony draws to a close with the timeless patriotic tune ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’, performed by the Buglers.
Squadron Leader Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh will serve as the principal conductor of the ceremony. The Indian Army Band conductor will be Subedar Major Prakash Joshi, while M Antony, MCPO MUS II and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar will be the conductors of the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force bands respectively. The CAPFs band will be conducted by Inspector Chetram. The Pipes and Drums band will perform under Subedar S. P. Chourasia, while the Buglers will be led by Subedar Manoj Kumar.
Adding a distinct cultural touch this year, the seating enclosures at Vijay Chowk have been named after Indian musical instruments, including Bansuri, Damaru, Ektara, Esraj, Mridangam, Nagada, Pakhawaj, Santoor, Sarangi, Sarinda, Sarod, Shehnai, Sitar, Surbahar, Tabla and Veena, celebrating India’s rich musical heritage alongside its military traditions.
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