Being in Delhi for more than three decades, I did not get a chance to watch the Beating Retreat ceremony live. Since all the newspapers reporting about the upcoming event in 2016 indicated that this year will be colorful and more musical and the ceremony during 2016 will be the best. After seeing that report, both my wife and I got excited and we don’t want to miss the event this time.
After getting the pass for the show, I was looking forward to the event to take place on January 29, 2016. The scheduled show was supposed to start at exactly 5:30 pm All the central government offices located around Vijay Chowk were closed and security personnel occupied the area and the place looked like a war zone. We left our residence around 3 am and reached Patel Chowk tube station at 3:30. At that time many people began to arrive and headed towards the place. The security was so tight and it seemed like all the security staff were looking at the public warily to avoid any untoward incident. After arriving at the location, we found out that there were three levels of security. This was our first time going through three level security and we both felt a bit nervous.
The sun was about to set. The reflection of the red color illuminates the sky. The entire audience was eagerly waiting for the ceremony to begin. The environment was completely silent. All eyes turned towards Rastrabathi Bhawan. A white jeep began to approach the dais. Yes, it was the Chief of the Naval Staff who arrived first, followed by the Air Force and the Army Chief. The entire audience cheered as the three Chiefs waved their hands towards the crowd.
After a few minutes, the crowd stood at their feet to see the Prime Minister’s car arriving at the venue. It’s hard to ignore Narendra Modi’s signature half-sleeved kurtas (and churidaars). His sharp formals and that splash of color set him apart from other guests. When he waved his hand, the entire audience responded with a roar!
When the president’s cavalcade entered the venus, everyone got excited and the whole crowd waved their hands and the president reciprocated by waving to the audience.
The Republic Day parade is a wonderful experience and a very proud tradition of our nation. Unlike the previous year, the long-awaited Beating Retreat, which marks the end of the Republic Day festivities, underwent a slight change. The ceremony in Delhi is held keeping in mind the age-old tradition, according to which, soldiers gave for the end of the war. at sunset The ceremony officially marks the end of the Republic Day celebrations.
This year, the spectacle of the ceremony sparked a new mix of music instead of the long tradition of only military music. Sitar, santoor and tabla will be heard for the first time together with military bands.
For better viewing of the program for the crowd, LED screens, spider-cams and surround sound systems were installed.
And at exactly 6 p.m. end.
The ceremony, like every year, created a nostalgia for the past times.
