Following the arrival of President Ramnath Kovind, escorted by his elite mounted bodyguard, the 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony – the concluding event to the Republic Day celebrations – began at Vijay Chowk on Saturday, 29 January.
The ceremony saw the involvement of contingents from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as the Central Armed Forces, who were made a part of it in 2016.
The ceremony was broadcast on the official YouTube and television channels of Doordarshan.
A novel attraction in this year's ceremony was a show by 1,000 drones, arranged by 'Botlab Dynamics,' an initiative of students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, and the Department of Science and Technology.
The show commemorated 75 years of independence from colonial rule, and was prepared under the Centre's 'Make in India' initiative.
The Beating the Retreat ceremony, which featured 26 pieces of music, also saw some new melodies in its musical repertoire, from 'Kerala,' 'Hind ki Sena' to 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon.' The event was brought to a close with a rendition of the song 'Saare Jahan Se Achcha.'
While the president, as supreme commander of India's Armed Forces, was the chief guest of the ceremony, it was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and the chiefs of all three branches of the Armed Forces.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)