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Unique tunes for Beating Retreat

Staff Reporter

Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Grand Setting: The scene during a preview of Beating Retreat in New Delhi .

NEW DELHI: The upcoming Beating Retreat ceremony here on January 29 will have soldiers marching to the tunes of several unique compositions that include “Bol Vir Senani” for Gorkha Brigade route march and “My Home” for slow march. Other numbers will include “Kesariya Bana”, “Cuttya’s Wedding”, “The Kilt is my Delight” and “The Bonawe High Landers”.

These pieces of music will be played as part of the “pipes and drums” section.

Tradition

Speaking at a preview of the Beating Retreat ceremony here , Parade Commander Major General K. J. S. Oberoi said the event was a military tradition that dated back to the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset.

“As soon as the bugle was sounded, the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield. This is why the custom of standing still during the sounding of the call has been retained to this very day,” he added.

The event that included only pipes and drums in its original format has led to composition of music for the specific purpose of military parades.

Although popular folk tunes are frequently used, the drumbeat has to ensure that it keeps pace with the marching soldiers.

This stringent parameter imposes a restriction on the type of music that is selected for parading.

The order of this year’s parade is “massed band” followed by “pipes and drums”, “Navy and Air Force bands”, “military band”, “massed band”, “drums call”, “hymn”, “retreat” and “exit”.

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