Indian tunes to be flavour of this year's Beating Retreat ceremony

New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): The Beating Retreat ceremony of 2021 is scheduled to witness flavours of Indian tunes on Friday, January 29, with as many as 26 performances at the historic Vijay Chowk scheduled to enthral spectators with captivating and foot-tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
This year, 15 Military bands and 15 Pipes and Drums Bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in 'Beating the Retreat ceremony'.
Apart from that, one band each of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force will also be part of the event. Another band of 'Centre APF' is also scheduled to perform during the ceremony.
As per the Ministry of Defence, the entry band will be 'Massed Band' with 'Swarnim Vijay' theme. It will play a special new composition to commemorate 50 years of India's victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan.
The performance will be followed by 'Pipes and Drums Band', CAPF Bands, Air Force Band, Naval Band, Army Mil Band and Massed bands.
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 29 every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations.
The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army 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. (ANI)