New Delhi

The Beating Retreat ceremony, scheduled to be held here on Thursday, will feature a rich repertoire of patriotic and martial compositions performed by bands of the Indian armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), with special emphasis on the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ as the country marks its 150th anniversary.

The ceremonial event, organised at Vijay Chowk, traditionally brings the curtain down on the Republic Day celebrations each year. This time, the musical programme has been curated to reflect both India’s military heritage and its cultural traditions, officials said.

As part of the celebrations, seating enclosures at Vijay Chowk have been named after a wide range of Indian musical instruments, including bansuri, damaru, ektara, esraj, mridangam, nagada, pakhawaj, santoor, sarangi, sarinda, sarod, shehnai, sitar, surbahar, tabla and veena. The move is aimed at highlighting the country’s diverse musical legacy while blending classical culture with ceremonial grandeur.

The sesquicentenary of Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, has emerged as the central theme of this year’s Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path and related events. Reflecting this focus, invitation cards for both the ceremonial parade and the Beating Retreat carry the 150th anniversary logo, along with a silhouette of Chatterjee and a watermark of the national song.

In the run-up to the main event, military and CAPFs bands also held performances across several cities between January 19 and 26, showcasing compositions based on Vande Mataram and reinforcing the spirit of patriotism among the public.

According to the defence ministry, Vijay Chowk will echo with “mesmerising Indian compositions” during the Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29, marking the formal conclusion of the 77th Republic Day celebrations.

The musical display will be witnessed by a distinguished gathering that includes President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union ministers, senior government officials and other invited guests.

The programme will commence with the massed bands rendering ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’. This will be followed by performances by the pipes and drums band, which will play compositions such as ‘Atulya Bharat’, ‘Veer Sainik’, ‘Mili Jhuli’, ‘Nritya Sarita’, ‘Marooni’ and ‘Jhelum’. Bands of the Central Armed Police Forces will present tunes including ‘Vijay Bharat’, ‘Hathrohi’, ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘Veer Sipahi’, the ministry said.

The Indian Air Force band will perform pieces such as ‘Brave Warrior’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert’ and ‘Flying Star’, while the Indian Navy band’s set will include ‘Namaste’, ‘Sagar Pawan’, ‘Matribhumi’, ‘Tejasvi’ and ‘Jai Bharati’.

This will be followed by the Indian Army band, which will play compositions like ‘Vijayee Bharat’, ‘Aarambh Hai, Prachand Hai’, ‘Aye Watan, Aye Watan’, ‘Anand Math’, ‘Sugamya Bharat’ and ‘Sitare Hind’.

In the final segment, the massed bands will come together to present ‘Bharat Ke Shaan’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Drummers Call’. The ceremony will conclude with the buglers performing the much-loved patriotic tune ‘Sare Jahan Se Achha’.

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The defence ministry said Squadron Leader Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh will serve as the principal conductor for the event. Subedar Major Prakash Joshi will conduct the Indian Army band, while M Antony, MCPO MUS II, and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar will lead the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force bands respectively. Inspector Chetram will conduct the CAPFs band, with Subedar S P Chourasia overseeing the pipes and drums, and Subedar Manoj Kumar leading the buglers.