1,000 Made in India drones light up Delhi sky during The Beating Retreat

At the Beating Retreat ceremony in Delhi on Saturday, around a thousand made-in-India drones lit up the sky in different formations.

Light show using 1000 drones to commemorate 75 years of India's Independence | PTI

India Today, New Delhi, January 29, 2022 :  At the Beating Retreat ceremony in Delhi on Saturday, around a thousand made-in-India drones lit up the sky in different formations. The first-of-its-kind laser show was organised by a startup called Botlab Dynamics and supported by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

The Beating Retreat ceremony marks the end of the nation's Republic Day celebrations, which began on January 23 on the occasion of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary. The Beating Retreat ceremony on Saturday was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and defence minister Rajnath Singh among others.

WATCH DRONE SHOW:

“It's a matter of pride that for the first time 1,000 drones will light up the sky during the Beating Retreat ceremony. India will become the fourth country in the world after UK, Russia and China to have achieved this feat. I am also happy to share that the entire funding was done by the science and technology ministry,” Union minister Jitendra Singh had earlier said.

#WATCH | 1000 Made in India drones make different formations as part of the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk, Delhi pic.twitter.com/aSrE5krh0R

— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2022

BEATING RETREAT CEREMONY

The Beating Retreat ceremony is a centuries-old military tradition that dates back to the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset. As soon as the buglers sounded the retreat, the troops ceased fighting and withdrew from the battlefield.

The ceremony is held annually at Vijay Chowk in Delhi.

At the ceremony, the bands of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) stood in various formations and played music. The entry band played the ‘Veer Sainik’ tune, followed by Pipes & Drums Band, CAPF Band, Air Force Band, Naval Band, Army Military Band and Massed Bands.

Commander Vijay Charles D’Cruz was the principal conductor of the ceremony.

To celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, new tunes were added to the ceremony. These included ‘Kerala’, ‘Hind ki Sena’ and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’. The event concluded with ‘Sare Jahan se Acha’.

For the first time in more than 70 years, popular hymn 'Abide With Me' was not part of the ceremony, a move heavily criticised by Opposition parties.

(With inputs from PTI)