Martial tune 'Sankhnaad' to be played at Republic Day

'Sankhnaad', a martial tune created for the Indian armed forces, will be played for the first time on the 70th Republic Day parade in New Delhi Saturday.

Since independence, the Indian defence forces have been playing 'martial tune' created before independence by the Britishers.

However, a new martial tune titled 'Shankanadh', based on Indian classical music, was dedicated to the nation on October 7, 2018.

This new tune has been composed by Dr Tanuja Nafde, a vocalist (Hindustani classical), academician and composer from Nagpur.

Nafde told PTI that on the request of a top officer of the Mahar Regiment, she composed a regiment song based on Indian classical music for their platinum jubilee celebrations in 2016.

The song, based on a poem written by Brigadier Vivek Sohal, glorifies the achievements and contribution of the Mahar Regiment, she said.

The martial tune cleared all the administrative approvals and was subsequently dedicated to the nation on October 7, 2018 as the martial tune for the all defence forces, Nafde said.

The tune will be played at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, she said.