New Delhi, 28 January: For the first time, 1,000 indigenous drones will illuminate the skies at the Beating Retreat ceremony to be held at Delhi’s Vijay Chowk on January 29. Through this 10-minute drone light show, 75 government achievements will be displayed in the sky.
Apart from this, campaigns like Make in India, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav will be shown in the sky through drones. Laser show will be organized for the first time at the Beating Retreat ceremony.
Martial music melodies with Indian fervour will be the highlight of the celebrations this year. Bands from Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will enthrall the audience with a total of 26 tunes.
It will begin with a mass band playing the tune of ‘Veer Sainik’. This will be followed by Pipes and Drums Band, CAPF Band, Air Force Band, Naval Band, Army Military Band and Mass Band. The Chief Conductor of the ceremony will be Commander Vijay Charles D’Cruz.
However, several new tunes have been added to the celebrations to celebrate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. These include ‘Kerala’, ‘Hind Ki Sena’ and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Log’. The event will conclude with the popular tune ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha…’.
The highlight of this year’s ‘Beating the Retreat’ will be the new drone show, which has been made a part of celebrations to mark 75 years of independence. The drone show will be organized by startup ‘Botlab Dynamics’ in association with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Department of Science and Technology.
The ten-minute show will include 1,000 indigenous drones. Synchronized background music will also be played during the drone show.
Before the end of the celebrations, there will also be a Projection Mapping Show to commemorate 75 years of Independence. The show of about 3-4 minutes duration will be displayed on the walls of North and South Blocks. The show has been designed, produced and choreographed under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Like the Republic Day Parade, eco-friendly invitation cards have been prepared for the ‘Beating the Retreat’ celebrations. The card is prepared from the seeds of medicinal plants of Ashwagandha, Aloe Vera and Amla. People are being encouraged to plant it in their gardens, flower pots and reap the age-old medicinal benefits.
It is worth mentioning that ‘Beating the retreat’ is a centuries-old military tradition from the time when at sunset the buglers sounded the retreat and left the battle with their weapons. This is why the practice of standing still during the sound of retreat is maintained to this day. Colours and standard casing flags are lowered when soldiers retreat.
Drumbeats recall the days when soldiers were called back to their quarters in towns and cities at an appointed time in the evening.
Based on these military traditions, the ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony creates an atmosphere of nostalgia of the bygone times.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh among other dignitaries will witness the Beating Retreating ceremony.
