The brass band has always been the backbone for any parade, with the rhythms of the drums and the melody of the bugles and trumpets setting the pace for the marching troops. But Bengaluru’s music lovers were in for another kind of trooper parade as members of the Border Security Force brass band’s Bengaluru wing decided to play a different tune at The Collection, UB City recently.
Comprising an assortment of instruments ranging from drums and trumpets to saxophones and bugles, the 34-member band delighted the crowd with 15 different types of instruments playing songs like ‘Ajeeb Dastaan’ and ‘Yeh Mera Dil’. For the Kannada-lovers, the band dished out familiar yesteryear tunes, including the eternal Rajkumar hit ‘Naavaaduva Nudiye Kannada Nudi’.
“Started in 1989, the brass band has participated in all the state parades till date and even placed first three times in the inter-band competition,” claims Ritesh Thakur, the Deputy Commandant of the Border Security Force, Bengaluru. He adds that the band, which has won plaudits at the Republic Day Parade in 2008 and 2009, is a regular feature at almost all ceremonies and events held by the state government.
Raising the patriotic spirit among the listeners, one of the crowd favourites was the band’s renditions of ‘Saare Jahaan Se Achcha’ that had many in the audience swaying to the nationalistic song.
“Our wellbeing and undisturbed sleep is ensured by the Border Security Force. They are the first line of defence. The rhythm of the drums and the tunes of patriotism are what keep us going forward,” the Deputy Commandant says. “These days, however, the band has started playing at cultural programmes and parties that we host.”
While the significance of the brass band may be to motivate soldiers, on this occasion, the band promoted ‘OORJA’, the National-level Under-17 Football Tournament. The tournament aims at creating a strong team with players from all over the country to participate in the International U-17 Football World Cup which will be hosted in India in October 2017, under the aegis of FIFA.
The brass band took its listeners on a trip down memory lane with their nostalgic hits giving many in the audience fond memories to take back home.
