Beating Retreat marks end of 69th Republic Day of India
The Beating Retreat ceremony is held every year on 29th January in New Delhi at the Vijay Chowk. It marks the end of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations.
The Beating Retreat ceremony is held every year on 29th January at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi. It marks the end of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations.
The President of India is the chief guest of the musical ceremony who is escorted by the President's Bodyguards. The year 2018 marked the first Beating Retreat attended by President Ram Nath Kovind as the the Head of the state.
The Indian Armed forces, central police and state police contingents participated in the ceremony held this year.
This year as many as 26 performances were held taking turns by the different contingents that took part to enthrall the audience, the chief guest and the dignitaries.
The ceremony this year at Vijay Chowk saw several military bands, pipes and drums bands from regimental centres and battalions enthralling the crowd, with a clear sky and a relatively warm weather adding to the cheerful atmosphere.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other dignitaries along with chiefs of the Army, Navy and the Air Force were present on the occasion.
Beating Retreat has been carried out ritualistically since 1950 in India. The ceremony is a military tradition that was a handover of the British influence.
In India Beating Retreat was first held when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited India for the first time after independence.
At that time India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ordered Major G A Roberts to do something extraordinary to welcome the dignitaries from Britain. This is when The Beating Retreat was officially conceived to honour Queen Elizabeth II's visit. Since then the ceremony is conducted every year to honour the President of India. (Photo | PTI)
At the sound of the retreat, the troops who went to the war would cease fighting, withdraw from the battlefield and return to their camps at sunset. (Photo | PTI)
A landscape view of Vijay Chowk where the ceremony was held on Monday evening 29th January.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan lit up in tricolour lights as the ceremony came to an end.
