The dominant theme at this year's ceremonial parade at the Kartavya Path, and other associated celebrations, has been the sesquicentenary of the national song, 'Vande Mataram.'
The sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram' was the overriding theme of the ceremonial event held at the Vijay Chowk and presided over by President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived at the venue in a traditional buggy to the sound of bugles, adding a ceremonial grace to the occasion.
The Indian Navy's Western Naval Command transformed Mumbai's Gateway of India into a dazzling display of naval tradition and precision during its Beating Retreat and Tattoo Ceremony, featuring flypasts, drill displays, and stirring military music.
The broader theme of the performance will be -- 'Swatantra Ka Mantra - Vande Mataram' and 'Samriddhi Ka Mantra - Viksit Bharat', officials said.
The upcoming Republic Day Parade will center around the sesquicentenary of 'Vande Mataram,' featuring themed decorations, performances, and special guests.
Foot-tapping melodies and the majestic backdrop of a setting sun over Raisina Hills mesmerised the audience at Vijay Chowk on Wednesday during the Beating Retreat ceremony, marking the culmination of the 76th Republic Day celebrations.
From massed band's 'Shankhnaad' to Navy's lilting 'Mission Chandrayaan', mellifluous tunes reverberated across the Raisina Hill in the heart of Delhi as India's rich heritage and towering accomplishments were celebrated during the Beating Retreat ceremony on Monday.
This year's ceremony will see the participation of 44 buglers, 16 trumpeters and 75 drummers.
The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands.
Beating Retreat ceremony, which marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations, is underway at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.
This year's ceremony will conclude with Sare Jahan Se Acha.
Republic Day celebrations culminated on Friday with the Beating Retreat ceremony that featured 26 soulful band performances, including special composition 'Swarnim Vijay' to commemorate 50 years of India's victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan.
Beating Retreat ceremony, which marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations, is underway at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.
The ceremony will begin with the massed band's "Agniveer" tune which will be followed by the enthralling tunes like "Almora", "Kedar Nath", "Sangam Dur", "Queen of Satpura", "Bhagirathi", "Konkan Sundari" by pipes and drums band, the defence ministry statement said.
From the drones show to projection mapping show, this year's ceremony also presented quite a few firsts.
Beating Retreat ceremony, which marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations, is underway at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.
Foot-tapping music and soulful classical renditions reverberated at Vijay Chowk on Wednesday as the Republic Day celebrations culminated with the Beating Retreat ceremony in New Delhi.
'Only those who live through these situations understand the true cost of war.'
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Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said on Friday that the ceasefire with India was holding and the country is committed to it. He also said that Pakistan is committed to making the ceasefire hold and de-escalation succeed, and then engagement to lead to stability and resolution of issues. Khan said that the two militaries have a channel of communication through the Directors General of Military Operations, through which they are working for de-escalation, in terms of the movement of troops. He added that Pakistan remains committed to the ceasefire announced on May 10 and lately, both sides have taken steps for de-escalation and return of stability.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has scaled down the retreat ceremony held at Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab following the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The BSF's Punjab frontier said it was suspending the symbolic handshake of the Indian guard commander with the counterpart and the border gates will remain closed during the ceremony. The move is seen as a response to the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.
Olympic medallist Saina also attended the Beating Retreat ceremony, a daily flag-lowering ceremony jointly conducted by the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers at the Wagah border, the border outpost located between Amritsar and Lahore.
The ceremony held on January 29 every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations.
As the bugle was sounded for the retreat, the Raisina Hill complex lit up in a riot of colours, the illumination provided by LEDs rather than the traditional incandescent bulbs.
Here are glimpses of a full dress rehearsal.
President Droupadi Murmu and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived at Kartavya Path for the 76th Republic Day parade in a traditional horse-drawn buggy, a practice that made a comeback after a 40-year gap last year. The gold-plated, horse-drawn buggy is a black carriage with the national emblem embossed on it in gold. It was discontinued after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 but was revived by President Pranab Mukherjee in 2014. The buggy's history dates back to the British era, with India winning ownership through a coin toss after independence.
Tunes by Indian musicians, foot-tapping drumbeats and calming chimes reverberated the air as the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan lit up at sunset marking the end of the 66th Republic Day celebrations with 'Beating Retreat' ceremony at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Thursday.
Every Indian must visit the National War Memorial in Delhi where every soldier who made the supreme sacrifice for the Motherland is remembered in gold letters.
A 'jugalbandi' of tabla and shehnai along with military bands rendering 'Vandemataram' mesmerised the audience at Beating Retreat ceremony on Sunday, bringing the curtains down on Republic Day celebrations.
For the first time in over four decades, women personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been made part of the routine Beating Retreat Ceremony at Wagah on the Indo-Pak border Attari.
Marking the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations, the beating the retreat ceremony will be held on Friday evening at the Vijay Chowk in New Delhi.
Kaleidoscopic lights replace incandescent glory this year.
The Border Security Force is on high alert along the Indo-Pak border in Punjab after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd across Amritsar's Wagah sector in Pakistan killing at least 55 people.
Ahead of Republic Day, the Indian Army announced on Thursday the addition of two new features to this year's parade: battlefield surveillance systems and a Defebce Research and Development Organisation tableau showcasing Pralay, short-range ballistic missiles.
Scenes from the Beating Retreat ceremony on Independence Day at the Attari-Wagah border featuring the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers.
According to federal government officials, Wahida, a resident of Nagaon district in Assam, was arrested along with her son while illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan via the Chaman border last year.
In a first, a grand drone show will dazzle the sky above the national capital during the Beating the Retreat ceremony to be held at Vijay Chowk on Saturday as part of the country's 73rd Republic Day celebrations.
The exchange of the list took place under the provisions of an agreement on the prohibition of attack against nuclear installations and facilities, the ministry of external affairs said.
The presidents were escorted by the President's Bodyguard -- "Rashtrapati Ke Angrakshak".
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