Spectators at the Beating Retreat ceremony on Wednesday
were in for a surprise when President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in a
decorated, six-horse buggy.
Breaking away from the usual tradition of
arriving in a limousine, the carriage was used after a gap of nearly 20
years.
The majestic Raisina Hills, enveloped in a
layer of fog on the cold winter evening, provided the perfect ambience
for the ceremony which brought the curtain down on the 65 Republic Day
celebrations.
The event at Vijay Chowk began with the
unfurling of the Tricolour and the National Anthem playing in the
background. This was followed by buglers announcing the formal beginning
of the ceremony.
President Pranab Mukherjee, center, greets people as he arrives for Beating Retreat ceremony in New Delhi
Spectators at the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi
First to perform were the massed bands, which set the tone for the evening with “Jahan daal, daal par …” Indian tunes were the flavour of the ceremony.
A naval band performs during the Beating Retreat ceremony in New Delhi
Note
In India ''Beating Retreat Ceremony'' officially denotes the end of Republic Day
festivities. It is conducted on the evening of 29th January, the third
day after the Republic Day.
It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military -
The venue is Raisina Hills and an adjacent square,Vijay Chowk, flanked by the North and South Block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan(President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath
The Chief Guest of the function is the President of India who arrives escorted by the President's Bodyguards (PBG), a cavalry unit.
When the President begins to arrive, a Fanfare is sounded by the trumpeters of the Brigade of the Guards on their Natural Trumpets and then the PBG commander asks the unit to give the National Salute, which is followed by the playing of the Indian National Anthem,Jana Gana Mana , by the Massed Bands, and at the same time by the unfurling of the Flag of India on the flagpole right at the Vijay Chowk.
The ceremony was started in the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the ceremony of display by the massed bands in which Military Bands, Pipes and Drums Bands, Buglers and Trumpeters from various Army Regiments besides bands Navy and Air Force take part.
It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military -
- Indian Army
- Indian Navy and
- Indian Air Force
The venue is Raisina Hills and an adjacent square,Vijay Chowk, flanked by the North and South Block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan(President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath
The Chief Guest of the function is the President of India who arrives escorted by the President's Bodyguards (PBG), a cavalry unit.
When the President begins to arrive, a Fanfare is sounded by the trumpeters of the Brigade of the Guards on their Natural Trumpets and then the PBG commander asks the unit to give the National Salute, which is followed by the playing of the Indian National Anthem,Jana Gana Mana , by the Massed Bands, and at the same time by the unfurling of the Flag of India on the flagpole right at the Vijay Chowk.
The ceremony was started in the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the ceremony of display by the massed bands in which Military Bands, Pipes and Drums Bands, Buglers and Trumpeters from various Army Regiments besides bands Navy and Air Force take part.
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