The Beating Retreat ceremony, marking the conclusion of the 77th Republic Day celebrations, was held at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other Union Ministers.
In a social media post, Prime Minister Modi said the ceremony reflects India’s rich military heritage and expressed pride in the armed forces. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it a solemn tradition symbolising national pride and a dignified close to Republic Day. President Droupadi Murmu described it as a fitting finale, noting that the Armed Forces and CAPF band performances showcased national unity, valour, and India’s cultural and martial traditions.
According to the Ministry of Defence, bands from the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces presented a vibrant musical programme at Vijay Chowk. The ceremony began with the Massed Bands performing ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’, followed by melodious renditions by the Pipes and Drums band, including ‘Atulya Bharat’, ‘Veer Sainik’, ‘Mili Jhuli’, ‘Nritya Sarita’, ‘Marooni’ and ‘Jhelum’. The Central Armed Police Forces bands played tunes such as ‘Vijay Bharat’, ‘Hathrohi’, ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘Veer Sipahi’.
The Indian Air Force band presented compositions including ‘Brave Warrior’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert’ and ‘Flying Star’, while the Indian Navy band performed ‘Namaste’, ‘Sagar Pawan’, ‘Matribhumi’, ‘Tejasvi’ and ‘Jai Bharati’. This was followed by the Indian Army band’s renditions of ‘Vijayee Bharat’, ‘Aarambh Hai, Prachand Hai’, ‘Aye Watan, Aye Watan’, ‘Anand Math’, ‘Sugamya Bharat’ and ‘Sitare Hind’.
The Massed Bands performed ‘Bharat Ke Shaan’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Drummers Call’, concluding with the buglers playing ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’.
The ceremony was led by principal conductor Squadron Leader Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh. Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and CAPF bands were conducted by Subedar Major Prakash Joshi, M Antony, Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar, and Inspector Chetram, respectively, with Subedar S.P. Chourasia leading Pipes and Drums and Subedar Manoj Kumar the buglers.
This year, seating enclosures at Vijay Chowk were named after Indian musical instruments, Bansuri, Damaru, Mridangam, Santoor, Sarangi, Sarod, Shehnai, Sitar, Tabla and Veena, to celebrate the country’s musical heritage.
