Beating Retreat enthralled audience

As part of Republic Day Celebrations, the ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony held at the historic Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Monday. Music bands of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) played 31 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes. The Indian Army band played Faulad Ka Jigar, Agniveer, Kargil 1999, and 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 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 are lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by. The Beating Retreat is the formal end of the Republic Day celebrations in national capital--New Delhi for the year. With the sun setting down over the majestic Raisina Hills.