Thirty-five bands from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force will take part in this year’s Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk here on January 29.
The Navy band master will conduct the solemn show.
President Pratibha Patil will be the guest of honour on the occasion.
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The arrival of the President will be marked by 38 buglers and echo buglers each.
A selection of popular music tunes will be played by the bands such as the National Anthem, followed by “Sare Jahan Se Achcha”, “Sam Bahadur”, “Gulmarg” and others.
The Army bands will play quick march tunes such as “Surya”, “Pipers Cave” and “Highland Laddie” in addition to “Sky Boat Song” a slow march tune, and “The Marques of Huntley”.
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Mahatma’s favourite
Other tunes which will be played by the Army bands include “Hanste Lushai”, “Gangotri, “Abhinandan”, “Dhola re Dhola” and The Naval and Air Force bands will pay “Ocean’s Splendour”, “Bharatiya Nau Sena”, “Sky Hawks”, “Swatantra Bharat ke Shaan”, “Nocturnal Cry” and “Subroto”.
“Abide with me”, a particularly favourite tune of Mahatma Gandhi, will also be played.
The tradition of Beating Retreat is historically rooted. In ancient India, the buglers would announce a retreat at the end of every day of a war during which troops would cease to fight, sheath their arms, pay homage to those who had died in battle and would withdraw from the battlefield.
Now it marks the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations every year.