Explained: What Is Beating The Retreat Ceremony

The Republic Day parade is the exotic display of India¡¯s cultures and military might. However it is not all that is there to exhibit. The main parade is followed by the Beating Retreat Ceremony, which is the winding up of the Republic Day celebration.

It is the conclusion of Republic Day parades, symbolising the drawing back of parading soldiers.

Beating Retreat is a 17th-century military rite that was first used to summon neighbouring patrolling units to their fortress. The ritual would take place as the soldiers returned from their patrolling units to their encampment.

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The Beating Retreat ceremony brings the Republic Day celebrations to a conclusion

The occasion is organised and held by the Indian Army, with the President of India as the principal guest. The ceremony takes place at the Vijay Chowk, filling it with lights, music, and patriotism. It is played by bands from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force, as well as Army pipe bands and, beginning in 2016, a massed formation of bands from the Central Armed Police Forces and the Delhi Police.

When Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited post-independence India for the first time in the early 1950s, Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, summoned Major Roberts of the Indian Army to plan something magnificent and unique for the Queen's visit.

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The notion of a Beating Retreat ceremonial devised by the military services and their associated bands was submitted by Major Robert. The Beating Retreat has been a component of the Republic Day ceremonies since then.

The President of India, who is escorted by the President's Bodyguard, is the principal guest at the occasion. When the President arrives, the Brigade of the Guards trumpeters play a fanfare on their fanfare trumpets, and the commander orders the unit to give the national salute, which is followed by the massed bands playing the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and the unfurling of the Indian flag on the flagpole right at the Vijay Chowk.

About the ceremony

The ceremony begins with the three services' massed bands marching in sync to popular marching anthems such as Colonel Bogey March, Sons of the Brave, and Qadam Qadam Badaye Ja. The buglers' fanfare is followed by bands from the Navy and the Air Force.

Their compound marches, which involve movements to build complicated and beautiful patterns and concert pieces, bring the celebration to a close. The Indian Army then plays classic Scottish and Indian tunes such as Gurkha Brigade, Neer's Sagar Samrat, and Chaandni on pipes and drums. A compound march and formation numbers are also performed by the pipe bands.

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Each of the five or six band contingents marches forward and takes a place near the President's chair. The Drummer's Call is a solo performance by drummers, primarily from the Army's pipe bands. The last melody performed before the Retreat, when the national flag is lowered, is a typical component of this performance.

The buglers then play the sunset bugle call, and all of the flags are slowly hauled down. The band master then marches to the President, requesting permission to remove the bands and informing him that the closing ceremony has ended.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Defense, this year's activities include a drone demonstration and projection mapping. This year there was a 10-minute show with roughly 1,000 drones built using indigenous technology and synchronised music as the backdrop. This presentation is a 'Make in India' project by a firm called 'Botlab Dynamics,' with backing from IIT Delhi and the Department of Science and Technology.

This years event came to a close with the tune of `Sare Jahan Se Acha`.