Guwahati: The “Beating the Retreat” ceremony which will be attended by President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Sunday, will feature Indian music based on Indian Classical Ragas.
The music bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force, State Police, and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will perform 29 enthralling and foot-tapping Indian songs, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Rajnath Singh, the defence minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will both be present in the ceremony.
The event will feature the largest drone show in the nation, featuring 3,500 domestic drones. The drone spectacle will illuminate the night sky over the Raisina hills by synchronising a wide variety of national figures. It will show off the startup ecosystem’s success, the youth of the nation’s technological prowess, and set the way for upcoming ground-breaking developments.
Botlabs Dynamics will be in charge of organising the drone expo. During the ceremony, a 3D anamorphic projection will be made on the North and South Block facades for the first time.
The ceremony will begin with the massed band’s ‘Agniveer’ tune which will be followed by enthralling tunes like ‘Almora’, ‘Kedar Nath, ‘Sangam Dur’, ‘Queen of Satpura’, ‘Bhagirathi’, ‘Konkan Sundari’ by Pipes and Drums band, said the Defence Ministry statement.
Indian Air Force’s band will play ‘Aprajey Arjun’, ‘Charkha’, ‘Vayu Shakti’, ‘Swadeshi’, while ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, ‘Hum Taiyyar Hai’, and ‘Jai Bharati’ will be played by the band of Indian Navy.
The Indian Army’s band will play ‘Shankhnaad’, ‘Sher-e-Jawan’, ‘Bhupal’, ‘Agranee Bharat’, ‘Young India’, ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’, ‘Drummers Call’, and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’.
The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.
Flight Lieutenant Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh will serve as the ceremony’s main conductor. The commanders of the Naval and Air Force bands will be M Anthoni Raj and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar, while Sub Maj Diggar Singh will head the Army Band. According to the official release, Asst. Sub Inspector Prem Singh would lead the State Police and CAPF bands.
Under the direction of Naib Subedar Santosh Kumar Pandey, the buglers will perform while Subedar Major Baswaraj Vagge will direct the pipes and drums band.
The four-day Republic Day celebrations come to an end with “Beating the Retraet” on January 29 every year. When the Colors and Standards are paraded, it has become a symbol of national pride.