Beating Retreat will be held today: All you need to know

The Beating Retreat will be held on Wednesday and marks the end of the Republic Day celebrations. The iconic ceremony conducted on the evening of January 29 every year, the third day after the Republic Day, is an age-old tradition military tradition when troops ended their fighting and withdrew from the battlefield. They returned to the camps at sunset at the sound of the Retreat.

It is performed by the bands of the three armed forces-- the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and the Delhi Police. India on January 26 (Sunday) observed its 71st Republic day. The Beating Retreat ceremony will start at 6 pm.

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The venue is Raisina Hills and Vijay Chowk flanked by the North and South blocks of the Central Secretariat and the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's Palace) towards the end of Rajpath. The chief guest of the function is the President.

The official list of tunes to be performed by the bands include 'Vande Mataram' which precedes Christian hymn 'Abide With Me' in the list. 'Abide With Me', a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, will continue to figure in the list of tunes to be played during the ceremony, amid uncertainty over its inclusion at the ceremonial event. The hymn will be the final piece in the iconic ceremony at Vijay Chowk.

'Abide With Me' was written by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte and it was the only western tune played at the event 2019. "Earlier the band was asked to discontinue practising the hymn 'Abide With Me', but in last 2-3 days, instructions were given to again practice it. It will be the final piece as it has been traditionally," a source had told news agency PTI. The brochure of the tunes was released by the Army. 

In the wake of the ceremony, the Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory marking elaborate arrangements for the event. The traffic restrictions will be put in place on January 29 from 2 pm till 9.30 am. Vijay Chowk will remain closed for general traffic.

The routes are--

# Traffic will not be allowed on the following stretches:-

(a) Rafi Marg between R/A Sunehri Masjid and R/A Krishi Bhawan.
(b) Raisina Road from R/A KrishiBhawan towards Vijay Chowk.
(c) Beyond R/A DaraShikoh Road, R/A Krishna Menon Marg and R/A Sunehri Masjid towards Vijay Chowk.
(d) Rajpath between Vijay Chowk and “C” – Hexagon which will be totally pedestrianized.

General public/motorists are advised to take alternate routes i.e. Ring Road, Ridge Road, Aurobindo Marg, Madarsa ‘T’ Point, Safdarjung Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Rani Jhansi Road, Minto Road etc.

# Metro Station:

Entry and Exit gates at Udyog Bhawan and Central Secretariat Metro Station of the Delhi Metro's Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli to HUDA City Centre) will remain closed from 2 PM to 6.30 on Wednesday. "At Udyog Bhawan station, the services will not be available from 2-6.30 PM while it will not be available at Central Secretariat from 4-6.30 PM. Also, entry and Exit at Central Secretariat station will be allowed from gate no 1 only from 2-4 PM while rest of the gates will remain closed during this period," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said in a statement.

However, interchange facility from Yellow Line to Violet Line (Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh) and vice versa will be allowed at Central Secretariat station during this period. Normal services at these stations will be restored at 6:30 PM, the DMRC said. 

# Parking:

Parking will be available for those coming to see illumination at Vijay Chowk behind the water channels between Rafi Marg and ‘C’ Hexagon (after 7 PM).

# Diversions for Buses:

D.T.C and other city buses shall be diverted from their normal routes from 1400 hours to 2130 hours on 29.01.2020 to facilitate the vehicles of invitees and spectators and to avoid traffic congestion on roads around the venue of the ceremony and India Gate.

1. Buses bound for Central Sectt. and Connaught Place coming from Shantipath –VinayMarg-Sardar Patel Marg will take PanchsheelMarg-Simon BoliverMarg-VandeMatramMarg- R/A Shankar Road -  Park Street.

2. Buses bound for Central Sectt. will terminate at UdyanMarg and return via Kali Bari Marg-MandirMarg-Shankar Road.

3. Connaught Place bound buses will take MandirMarg, Kali Bari Marg, - G.P.O.-Baba Khadak Singh Marg and reach Connaught Place & return via Bhagat Singh Marg – Peshwa Road-MandirMarg-Shankar Road and VandeMatram Marg.

4. Buses coming from South Delhi on Tughlaq Road and bound for Connaught Place/Central Sectt. will be diverted from AurobindoChowk to Safdarjung Road- Kamal Ataturk Marg-PanchsheelMarg – Simon BoliverMarg and follow the route as mentioned at Sl. No.1.

5. Buses coming to Mandi House and Feroz Shah Road and proceeding to Connaught Place via Barakhamba Road will terminate at Shivaji Stadium and return via Kasturba Gandhi Marg/Barakhamba Road.

6. Connaught Place bound buses coming on Shahjahan Road will proceed to Shivaji Stadium via AurbindoChowk - Safdarjung Road – Kamal Ataturk Marg – PanchsheelMarg and beyond.

7. Buses bound for Old Delhi Railway Station, Red Fort and ISBT Kashmere Gate coming from Southside will take Ring Road from AIIMS towards DhaulaKuan and then Ridge Road, Rani Jhansi Road.

8. Buses bound from Old Delhi Railway Station, Red Fort and ISBT Kashmere Gate coming from Ashram side will take Ashram Chowk – Ring Road towards Sarai Kale Khan and proceed further via Raj Ghat.

9. Buses coming from Old Delhi Railway Station, Red Fort, Kashmere Gate and bound for South and South-East will take Delhi Gate – Jawaharlal Nehru Marg – Rajghat – Ring Road -  Sarai Kale Khan - Ashram Chowk.

10. Buses coming from VikasMarg and bound for South will take Ring Road – Sarai Kale Khan – Ashram Chowk.

11. Buses coming from Connaught Place via Kasturba Gandhi Marg towards India Gate will take Minto Road – DDU Marg – I.P. Flyover – Ring Road – Sarai Kale Khan.