President Murmu presides over Beating Retreat ceremony as Vijay Chowk reverberates with Indian tunes

President Droupadi Murmu arrives for the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk on Thursday. Pic/PTI

The 77th Republic Day celebrations drew to a formal close on Thursday with the traditional Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk, presided over by President Droupadi Murmu.

In a post on X, the President said the ceremony provided a befitting conclusion to the Republic Day festivities. She noted that the performances by bands of the Armed Forces and the Central Armed Police Forces reflected the spirit of national unity and the enduring valour of India's armed forces.

IN PHOTOS: Vijay Chowk reverberates with Indian tunes during Beating Retreat ceremony

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"The melodious tunes epitomised the nation's rich cultural heritage and military traditions," the post said.

The iconic Vijay Chowk reverberated with Indian tunes during the ceremony, which marked the culmination of the 77th Republic Day celebrations on January 29.

According to a release issued by the Ministry of Defence, bands from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces presented a series of foot-tapping performances before a distinguished gathering that included President Murmu, Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, other Union Ministers, senior officials and members of the public.

The ceremony commenced 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'.

Beating Retreat 2026: Vijay Chowk seating named after Indian musical instruments

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 later played ‘Bharat Ke Shaan', ‘Vande Mataram' and ‘Drummers Call'. The ceremony concluded with the buglers performing the patriotic tune ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha', the release said.

The principal conductor of the ceremony was Squadron Leader Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh. The Indian Army band was conducted by Subedar Major Prakash Joshi, while M Antony, MCPO MUS II, and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar conducted the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force bands, respectively. The Central Armed Police Forces band was conducted by Inspector Chetram. The Pipes and Drums band performed under Subedar SP Chourasia, while the buglers were led by Subedar Manoj Kumar.

This year, the seating enclosures at Vijay Chowk were named after Indian musical instruments, including Bansuri, Damaru, Ektara, Esraj, Mridangam, Nagada, Pakhawaj, Santoor, Sarangi, Sarinda, Sarod, Shehnai, Sitar, Surbahar, Tabla and Veena.

(With ANI inputs)