December 20, 2025 08:50 am (IST)
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Beating the Retreat 2016: A curtain raiser
New Delhi, Jan 28 (IBNS): For the first time, bands from the State Police and Central Armed Police Force will perform at the 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony in Delhi on Friday.
Beating the Retreat ceremony, held at New Delhi's Vijay Chowk on Jan 29 every year, marks the culmination of the four-day long Republic Day celebrations.
In 2016, bands from the State Police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will perform at the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony.
The bands comprising Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) and Delhi Police will play the tunes ‘Samvidhan’, ‘Abhinandan’ and ‘Carriappa’.
As many as 20 out of the 26 performances have been composed by Indian musicians.
On Friday, 15 military bands, 18 Pipes and Drums bands from regimental centres and battalions will participate in the ceremony.
Besides, one band each from the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force will also perform.
The principal conductor of the Beating Retreat ceremony will be Cdr VC D’Cruz while military bands conductor will be Subedar Major Ramesh Singh and the Navy and Air Force bands commander will be Master Chief Petty Officer (Musician-I) Ramesh Chand and Junior Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar, respectively.
Buglers will perform under the leadership of Nb Sub Jagdish Giri and pipes and drums bands will play under the instructions of Sub Maj EV Vijayan.
‘Beating the Retreat’ has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded.
The ceremony 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.
‘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.
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