‘OS’, ‘Jai Ho’ light up Beating Retreat

Operation Sindoor took centre-stage as massed bands of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and paramilitary forces performed patriotic tunes, including Vande Mataram and A.R. Rehman’s ‘Jai Ho’, during Beating Retreat 2026 on Thursday, leaving the audience yearning for more.

Illuminated attire of performers and digital, coloured LED panels on drums and instruments and special formations by the band members at the Vijay Chowk – including those depicting Operation Sindoor and the decommissioned MiG-21 fighters – enthralled the spectators who were led by President Droupadi Murmu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were also present. The chiefs of the three armed forces and the Chief of Defence Staff were also present.

At the end of the ceremony, the national flag was lowered, and the National Anthem was played, signalling the formal close of the 77th Republic Day’s celebrations. The day’s performance was followed by a spell-binding illumination of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block and Parliament.

“A Majestic Ceremony, An Extraordinary Occasion, A Musical Atmosphere. Experience the mesmerising and spell-binding martial tunes played by the Military Bands during Beating Retreat 2026,” said a message posted by the Indian Army on social media during the ceremony.

A special feature of this year's Beating Retreat ceremony was that all the spectator seating areas at Vijay Chowk were named after Indian musical instruments. These names were for musical instruments such as the flute, tabla, sitar, veena, shehnai, mridangam, sarod, and santoor.

President Draupadi Murmu arrived at Vijay Chowk for the Beating Retreat ceremony, where she was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The programme began with the Massed Band's famous tune "Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja." The Pipes and Drums band then played tunes like "Atulya Bharat, Veer Sainik, Mili-Juli, Nritya Sarita, Maruni, and Jhelum." These tunes played by the military bands captivated the audience.

The bands of the Central Armed Police Forces also impressed the audience with their performances. Their bands filled the atmosphere with songs like "Vijay Bharat, Hathrohi, Jai Ho, and Veer Sipahi."

A major highlight of the programme was the Indian Air Force band. The Air Force band played tunes like "Brave Warrior, Twilight, Alert and Flying Star."

The Navy band imbued the event with patriotic fervour. The Navy band performed patriotic songs like "Namaste, Sagar Pawan, Matrubhoomi, Tejasvi and Jai Bharati."

The Indian Army Band enthralled the audience with inspiring tunes like "Vijayi Bharat, Aarambh Hai Prachand Hai, Ae Watan, Ae Watan, Anand Math, Sugamya Bharat and Sitare Hind."

Finally, the Massed Band performed "Bharat Ki Shaan, Vande Mataram, and "Drummer's Call."

The ceremony concluded, as always, with the ever-popular tune "Saare Jahan Se Achha," played by the buglers.

Squadron Leader Lamapokpam Roopchand Singh was the chief conductor for the entire event. Separate conductors from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Central Armed Forces also led their respective teams.