Operation Sindoor, AR Rahman’s ‘Jai Ho’ spice up Beating Retreat experience
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. Rahman’s ‘Jai Ho’, during Beating Retreat 2026 on Thursday, leaving the audience yearning for more.
Illuminated attire worn by performers, digital coloured LED panels on drums and instruments, and special formations by band members at Vijay Chowk — including depictions of Operation Sindoor and the decommissioned MiG-21 fighter aircraft — enthralled spectators, led by President Droupadi Murmu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were present at the ceremony. The chiefs of the three armed forces and the Chief of Defence Staff also attended.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the national flag was lowered and the National Anthem played, signalling the formal close of the 77th Republic Day celebrations. The performance was followed by a spellbinding illumination of Rashtrapati Bhavan, North Block, South Block and Parliament.
“A majestic ceremony, an extraordinary occasion, a musical atmosphere. Experience the mesmerising and spellbinding martial tunes played by the military bands during Beating Retreat 2026,” the Indian Army said in a message posted on social media during the event.
A special feature of this year’s Beating Retreat ceremony was that all spectator seating areas at Vijay Chowk were named after Indian musical instruments, including the flute, tabla, sitar, veena, shehnai, mridangam, sarod and santoor.
President Droupadi Murmu arrived at Vijay Chowk for the ceremony and was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The programme began with the Massed Bands’ iconic tune ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’. This was followed by performances by the Pipes and Drums band, which played tunes such as ‘Atulya Bharat’, ‘Veer Sainik’, ‘Mili-Juli’, ‘Nritya Sarita’, ‘Maruni’ and ‘Jhelum’, captivating the audience.
Bands from the Central Armed Police Forces also impressed spectators with performances of ‘Vijay Bharat’, ‘Hathrohi’, ‘Jai Ho’ and ‘Veer Sipahi’.
A major highlight of the programme was the Indian Air Force band, which played tunes including ‘Brave Warrior’, ‘Twilight’, ‘Alert’ and ‘Flying Star’.
The Navy band infused the event with patriotic fervour through performances of ‘Namaste’, ‘Sagar Pawan’, ‘Matrubhoomi’, ‘Tejasvi’ and ‘Jai Bharati’.
The Indian Army band enthralled the audience with inspiring tunes such as ‘Vijayi Bharat’, ‘Aarambh Hai Prachand’, ‘Ae Watan, Ae Watan’, ‘Anand Math’, ‘Sugamya Bharat’ and ‘Sitare Hind’.
The Massed Bands then performed ‘Bharat Ki Shaan’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Drummer’s Call’.
The ceremony concluded, as always, with the ever-popular ‘Saare Jahan Se Achha’, played by the buglers.
Squadron Leader Lamapokpam Roopchand Singh was the chief conductor for the event, with separate conductors from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Armed Police Forces leading their respective bands.
