Beating Retreat 2021 Image: A new song 'Swarnim Vijay' will be played (file photo))
The Beating Retreat ceremony, bringing the curtains down on the four-day long Republic Day celebrations will witness the bands perform a special new composition - Swarnim Vijay - for the first time. Swarnim Vijay, was composed to commemorate the 50 years of India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. The composition will be led by Lieutenant Colonel Vimal Joshi and Havildar Jiwan Rasaily at the historical Vijay Chowk where the Beating Retreat ceremony takes place. Here is a video of the Swarnim Vijay - the song of victory - which was posted by the Army earlier on its Twitter handle:
Know about the Beating Retreat
The Beating Retreat ceremony is held every year on January 29. Apart from the Swarnim Vijay, this year there will be few more new compositions. The Air Force band's Tiranga Senani and Nida Yodha, Navy band's Bharat Vandana and the Army Military band's Garud Prahar and Sambodhan Eco. The mass formation of bands will play Bharat Ke Jawan.
The Beating Retreat ceremony will start with ''Fanfare'' - composition, which will be played by the buglers and will end with ''Sare Jahan Se Accha''.
There will be a total of 60 buglers, 17 trumpet players and 60 drummers of the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force bands along with the mass formation of bands of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and the Delhi Police at the Beating Retreat. There will be 20 bands each of the Punjab Regiment and the Rajputana Rifles at the ceremony. A total of 25 bands of the Rajput Regiment, 19 bands of Bihar Regiment and at least seven bands of the Gorkha Regiment will also be part of the festivities.
History of Beating Retreat
The Beating Retreat is a centuries-old military tradition. It dates back to the days when troops used to disengage from fighting at sunset. A soon as the buglers sounded the "Retreat" the troops stopped fighting. The Beating Retreat ceremony is graced by the President and the flags are lowered at dusk against the backdrop of the setting sun. The Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block and the Parliament House are lit up simultaneously marking the solemn occasion.