1,000 drones to lasers: Many firsts at Beating the Retreat ceremony

Abide With Me, the hymn that is usually played every year at the ceremony before the national flag is brought down, marking the end of the Republic Day celebrations, was left out this year. A massed band of the different services instead performed Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, a song composed by C Ramachandra.
President Ram Nath Kovind, the chief guest of the ceremony, arrived accompanied by the President’s Bodyguard, a mounted regiment of the Indian Army. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh among other dignitaries were also present.

A show marking 75 yrs of Independence. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

The ceremony is a military tradition that used to mark the withdrawal from the battlefield at dusk. The military bands that were part of the ceremony include those from the Kumaon Regimental Centre, and the Bihar and Madras Regimental Centres.

The camel contingent of the Border Security Force remained stationed on the parapets of the North and South blocks.

After the bands retreated, lights were beamed onto the walls of the North and South blocks for a show to mark the 75th year of Independence. The show, with a narration that went with it, included parts of the Independence struggle along with mentions of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, and Bhagat Singh, among others. Parliament House and two blocks were lit up for the rest of the evening.
The ceremony concluded with 1,000 drones that lit up the sky over the Rashtrapati Bhavan in different formations including that of the Tricolour, Mahatma Gandhi, and the National War Memorial, and was accompanied by a narration and concluded to the tune of Vande Mataram.

The drones were developed by Botlab Dynamics, a start-up supported by IIT Delhi.

Police officers at the venue said around 1,200 attendees had been expected at the ceremony. Temperature checks were done at all entrances to the venue in keeping with Covid norms.