 "Camel mounted Border Security Force (BSF) personnel during the Beating Retreat ceremony, at Vijay Chowk")
Amid strains of soulful music, the Beating Retreat ceremony, which marks the culmination of Republic Day celebrations, got underway at the Vijay Chowk here on Monday.
The Raisina Hills in the heart of the national capital reverberated with the sound of captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes played by military and paramilitary bands.
President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu arrived at the venue in the traditional 'buggy' adding to the old-world charm of the event that traces its origins to the early 1950s.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several union ministers, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, senior officials, besides the general public are attending the mega event.
The Delhi Police has made elaborate traffic arrangements for the ceremony.
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In an advisory issued on Friday, police had said that traffic restrictions will be in place from 2 pm to 9.30 pm on Monday and Vijay Chowk will remain closed to traffic.
Traffic will not be allowed on Rafi Marg between Sunehri Masjid roundabout and Krishi Bhawan roundabout, Raisina Road from Krishi Bhawan roundabout towards Vijay Chowk, beyond Dara Shikoh roundabout, Krishna Menon Marg roundabout and Sunehri Masjid towards Vijay Chowk, the advisory said.
Traffic will be restricted on Kartavya Path between Vijay Chowk and 'C' Hexagon, it said.
The Raisina Hills "will witness all-Indian tunes" which will be played during the Beating Retreat ceremony, the defence ministry had said in a statement on Sunday.
"The music bands of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will play 31 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes before a distinguished audience," it had said.
The Beating Retreat ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands.
It marks a centuries-old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms, withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags are lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by, it said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
