Saturday, January 29 2005 19:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Indigenous tunes dominated the Beating Retreat in New Delhi this evening (Jan 29, 2005) with a new melody 'Giriraj' making its debut in the traditional ceremony that brings down curtains on the Republic Day celebrations.

As the shadows lengthened at Vijay Chowk, overlooked by the majestic North and South Blocks, around 35 bands of the three Armed forces played mesmerising music, involving drum beats and pipes.

In the audience were President A P J Abdul Kalam, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the three Armed forces chiefs.

The bands comprising 15 military bands and one band each from the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy made their entry playing bagpipes and drums to take their places in between the historic North Block and South Block buildings.

The first entry was marked with the buglers playing the tune 'Fanfare', which was followed by fast-paced 'Sam Bahadur' composed in memory of one of India's finest soldiers, Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw.

The mood at this year's ceremony was distinctly Indian, with compositions by retired Armed forces personnel, including 'Giriraj,' a tune for 'Quick March' composed by S R Kandpal and 'Deshon ka Sartaj', replacing several of the colonial tunes.

Paying tribute to the Indian soldiers at the one-hour-long musical extravaganza, the bands played tunes like 'The Great Ashoka', 'Veer Kargil', 'Tiger Hill', 'Bharat Shakti', 'Sher-E-Jawan' and 'Senani'.

The Indian tunes included 'Chandni', 'Herana Herana', 'Gangotri' as also 'Siki Amo Le,' based on a Ladakhi folk tune and composed by L B Gurung, who is also Inspector of the Army Band.

Among the tunes dating back to the colonial era that were retained in this year's Beating Retreat was Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymn 'Abide with Me' that lent a sombre mood to the dusky environs.

A big crowd favourite was the 'On the Snare Drums', played by only the drummers from the various bands.

Regaling audiences with their lilting tunes and flawless formations, the bands, in keeping with the Indian mood of the evening, arranged themselves in an end formation that represented the map of India.

The buglers then sounded the retreat and the national flag was lowered in keeping with the centuries-old tradition of armies sheathing their arms at dusk and retreating for the night.

As the bands retreated into darkness, playing 'Sare Jahan Se Achha', marking the end of the 56th Republic Day celebrations, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the North Block and South Block and adjoining Parliament House were lit up brightly, creating a grand spectacle and drawing wows from the audience.

The 'Beating Retreat' ceremony commemorates the centuries old custom of military warfare when soldiers were recalled to the camp at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat.

After Independence, a unique ceremony of display by the bands was introduced which followed two days after Republic Day.