Beating the Retreat ceremony held in New Delhi
In News :
Context :
- Beating the Retreat ceremony, marking the culmination of four days long Republic Day celebrations were held at the historic Vijay Chowk in New Delhi today. This year, Indian tunes were the flavour of ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony.
- Bands from Army, Navy, Air Force, State Police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF ) presented 27 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk which enthralled the spectators with their captivating and foot-tapping music.
- This year, 15 Military Bands, 15 Pipes and Drums Bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions also participated in the ceremony.
- The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. ‘Beating Retreat’ marks a centuries-old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat.