Band performing at the Beating Retreat ceremony amid rainfall, at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Even as the rain continued to fall down near the Raisina Hills, it failed to lower the enthusiasm of a drenched audience which had gathered to witness the Beating Retreat ceremony, marking an end to the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations, at Vijay Chowk on January 29 evening.
Naman Sahu, 23, a UPSC aspirant from Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh, said, “We as audience had no right to leave the ceremony in between because all the band groups were also performing all drenched in rain.”
“I loved the fact that the entire ceremony was held as per traditions despite the constant rain,” Mr. Sahu added.
The historic Beating the Retreat saw as many as 29 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes based on classical ragas being performed by various music bands of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy, and the State Police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).
The ceremony was attended by President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Pandey, the Tri-Service chiefs, among other dignitaries.
Bhavya Prasanna, a resident of Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa and a quality analyst engineer with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, said that her family had come specially for the Republic Day celebrations. “I wanted my daughter to learn about the country’s traditions,” said Ms. Prasanna, adding, “We all got emotional when they lowered the flag after playing ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’.”
Her daughter, Linisha, 8, said she was excited to see President Murmu. “I loved her bodyguards on horses,” she added.
Dr. Prasanna Raj, a doctor at AIIMS Delhi and originally from Karnataka’s Mysore, said, “My brother, Dr. Kushal Raj Singhvi, had specially come from the U.S. to witness the ceremony. It was the most wonderful experience we have had in our lives.”
Drone show cancelled
A drone show, said to be India’s biggest with 3,500 indigenous drones, and a 3-D anamorphic projection show on the facade of the North and the South Blocks had to be cancelled due to bad weather, leaving an over-all satisfied audience a bit disappointed. The drone show, as per the Ministry of Defence, was expected to light up the evening sky over the Raisina hills, weaving myriad forms of national figures/events through smooth synchronisation.
Aneesh Ahluwalia, an employee with Amazon, said that he was excited about the drone show but weather was in nobody’s control. “I loved the coordination of the bands. Even without the drone show, it was an experience everyone should have once in their lifetime,” he said.
Standing next to him trying to capture the convoys of the President and the Prime Minister in his phone, Ayush Verma said that it was a “majestic and breathtaking event”.
Film writer and actor Atul Tiwari, who scripted the drone show and directed the projection mapping show, said that he had attended the ceremony for the first time and was “mesmerised”. “We had to cancel the shows as there were chances of short-circuit,” he added.
Savita Kadyan Pawar, a teacher at a Delhi Government school, said that the authorities had made good arrangements in view of the rain. “I thought the rain will spoil the ceremony but, they provided rain coats for everyone. We were really hoping to catch the drone show so, a little disappointed but overall, it was a great experience,” she said.
Her daughter, Mansi Pawar, a school student, said she liked “how disciplined all the performing soldiers were”.