As part of Republic Day Celebrations, the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony will be held at the historic Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Monday. Music bands of Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will play 31 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes. The ceremony will begin with the massed band’s ‘Shankhnaad’ tune which will be followed by the enthralling tunes such as ‘Veer Bharat’, ‘Sangam Dur’, ‘Deshon ka Sartaj Bharat’, ‘Bhagirathi’, and ‘Arjuna’ by Pipes and Drums band. The CAPF bands will play ‘Bharat Ke Jawan’ and ‘Vijay Bharat’ among others.
Tiger Hill’, ‘Rejoice in Raisina’ and ‘Swadeshi’ are among the tunes to be played the band of the Indian Air Force, while the audience will witness the Indian Navy band playing a number of tunes, including ‘INS Vikrant’, ‘Mission Chandrayaan’, ‘Jai Bharati’ and ‘Hum Tayyar Hain’. This will be followed by the Indian Army band which will play ‘Faulad Ka Jigar’, ‘Agniveer’, ‘Kargil 1999’, ‘Taqat Watan’ among others.The Massed Bands will, then, play the tunes ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’, ‘Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon’ and ‘Drummers Call’. The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.
‘Beating the Retreat’ 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 marks a centuries old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms, 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.
Our correspondent reports that Delhi Traffic Police has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of Beating Retreat ceremony. In its advisory, it said that traffic restrictions will be in place from 2 pm to 9.30 pm and Vijay Chowk will remain closed for general traffic. It added that traffic will not be allowed on Rafi Marg between Sunehri Masjid roundabout and Krishi Bhawan, Raisina Road from Krishi Bhawan roundabout towards Vijay Chowk and Kartavya Path between Vijay Chowk and C Hexagon. People are requested to plan their journey in advance and keep sufficient time to avoid in convenience.