Beating Retreat: Music celebrates military valour, Operation Sindoor success, 'Vande Mataram' spirit

New Delhi: With patriotic music and ceremonial pageantry, India on Thursday celebrated its military valour, the success of Operation Sindoor and the timeless spirit of 'Vande Mataram' at the Beating Retreat ceremony here, bringing the curtains down on this year’s Republic Day celebrations.

The sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram' was the overriding theme of the ceremonial event held at the Vijay Chowk and presided over by President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived at the venue in a traditional buggy to the sound of bugles, adding a ceremonial grace to the occasion.

Bands of the Indian Air Force, Navy, Army and the paramilitary forces played an array of foot-tapping melodies, including 'Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja', 'Vijay Bharat', 'Brave Warrior', 'Jhelum', 'Jai Ho', 'Veer Seepahi', as well as 'Vande Mataram', marking 150 years of the national song, in the presence of Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs, among a host of other dignitaries.

Several giant screens installed at the venue telecast live visuals as the bands performed, much to the delight of the spectators.

Members of many bands, while belting out lilting tunes, also stood in various formations, representing key events and milestones of the country, such as 150 years of 'Vande Mataram', iconic military landmarks, the eternally vigilant soldier of the country, and some of the potent weapons India used during Operation Sindoor last May.

The formations included Gaganyaan (spaceflight mission), Operation Sindoor, the tri-services' logo, and coat of arms of the newly-raised Bhairav Battalion, which made its Republic Day parade debut this year.

They also symbolically hailed the Indian women’s cricket team's victory in the ICC ODI World Cup last year.

The giant screens also flashed aerial visuals of different formations, along with a series of digital inset images depicting them through graphics.

India also put its ancient military ethos in sharp focus with bands synchronising in formations such as 'Ardhachandra Vyuha' (half-moon-shaped battle formation used in ancient times) and 'Garuda Vyuha' (a formation referred to in Mahabharata).

The Indian Air Force band, conducted by Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar, played tunes such as 'Brave Warrior', 'Alert (Post Horn Gallop)', and 'Flying Star', as its members intermittently stood in formations representing MiG-21, BrahMos, and ‘Sindoor’ while inset images played on the big screens.

As music flooded the ceremonial square and the tricolour fluttered in the air, another inset depicted a symbolic video clip showing a BrahMos missile being released from a fighter jet and hitting a target.

As dusk fell, Operation Sindoor got another nod from the band of the IAF, whose air power played a critical role in the military action launched on May 7 last year in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Instruments of some of its band members were wrapped with LED-like coverings on which the characteristic logo of the operation, some of the key platforms used during the action and other military assets were displayed, with a set of inset images depicting Rafale, Tejas, Su-30, BrahMos, S-400 air defence system, Netra, Prachand and C-130 played on the giant screens.

The Indian Navy band, led by M Antony, MCPO MUS II, belted out lilting tunes like 'Sagar Pawan' and 'Maa Tujhe Salam', simultaneously making formations such as '150' (in Hindi numerals) followed by 'Vande' and 'Mataram', and 'Matsya Yantra' (an ancient maritime navigation tool).

CAPF bands also played several tunes, including 'Vijay Bharat', which celebrates India's rise and its culture and heritage.

In a departure from tradition, this year the seating enclosures at Vijay Chowk were named after Indian musical instruments – 'bansuri', 'damaru', 'ektara', 'esraj', 'mridangam', 'nagada', 'pakhawaj', 'santoor', 'sarangi', 'sarinda', 'sarod', 'shehnai', 'sitar', 'surbahar', 'tabla' and 'veena'.

The signages put up along the way, and near the enclosures, also depicted images of these instruments.

When 'Vande Mataram' was played by a band, it was complemented with sitar and tabla played by military personnel on the sidelines.

Other tunes that regaled the audience included 'Bharat Ke Shaan', 'Nritya Sarita', 'Josheela Desh', and 'Jai Bharati'.

The ceremony closed with a rendition of 'Sare Jehan Se Achha', as buglers sounded the retreat call from atop the Raisina Hill.