Being in Delhi for more than three decades, I did not get a chance to see the Beating Retreat ceremony live. Since all the newspapers reporting the upcoming event in 2016 indicated that this year will be colorful and more musical and the ceremony during 2016 will be at its best. After seeing that report, both my wife and I were excited and we don’t want to miss the event this time.
After getting the pass for the program, I was anxiously waiting for the event to take place on January 29, 2016. The scheduled program was to start at exactly 5:30 p.m. All 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 at around 3am and arrived at Patel Chowk Subway Station at 3:30. At that moment many people began to arrive and headed towards the place. The security was so tight and it seemed like all the security personnel were watching the public warily to avoid any untoward incident. After arriving at the location, we discovered that there were three levels of security. This was our first time going through three-tier security and we were both a bit nervous.
The sun was about to set. The reflection of the red color illuminates the sky. The entire audience was anxiously waiting for the ceremony to begin. The environment was completely silent. All eyes turned to 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 Chief of the Army. The entire audience cheered as the three Chiefs waved their hands at the crowd.
After a few minutes, the crowd stood at their feet to see the Prime Minister’s car arriving at the scene. It’s hard to ignore Narendra Modi’s signature half-sleeve 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 entire crowd waved their hands and the president reciprocated by waving his hand 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. by ending the war. at sunset The ceremony officially marks the end of the Republic Day celebrations.
This year, the ceremony’s spectacle sparked a new mix of music instead of the long-standing tradition of just military music. Sitar, santoor and tabla will be heard for the first time together with military bands.
For better viewing of the show for the crowd, LED screens, spider-cams, and surround sound systems were installed.
And at exactly 6 pm, the bugles sound the retreat and the national flag is lowered with the national anthem and soon after the Rashtrabathi Bhawan, South Block, North Block and all the surrounding government buildings are lit up which led to the Republic Day celebrations to a bright and formal. final.
The ceremony, like every year, created a nostalgia for past times.