The Republic Day 2026 celebrations concluded with the traditional ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony at the historic Netaji Stadium on January 29, featuring performances by military and police bands, cultural programmes by school students, illumination of naval ships and a fireworks display.
The ceremony marked the formal conclusion of the Republic Day events held in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Admiral D K Joshi (Retd.), Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Vice Chairman of the Islands Development Agency, was the chief guest at the event.
Also present on the occasion were Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command; Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration Chandra Bhushan Kumar; Director General of Police H G S Dhaliwal; senior officers from the defence services and civil administration; public representatives; and a large number of members of the general public, who witnessed the programme at the stadium.
The ceremony commenced with performances by the bands of the Army, Navy and Andaman and Nicobar Police, including the Andaman and Nicobar Lady Police Pipe Band. The bands played popular tunes as part of the traditional Beating Retreat sequence, drawing attention from the audience gathered at the venue. This was followed by the formal lowering of the National Flag, marking the ceremonial end of the Republic Day observances.
A combined cultural programme was then presented by students from Government Senior Secondary School Bhatubasti, Government Senior Secondary School Model, Senior Secondary School Nirmala and Government Middle School Dugnabad. The performances were themed around patriotism and featured coordinated dance and musical presentations, which received applause from the audience present at the stadium.
As part of the Beating Retreat ceremony, naval ships anchored offshore conducted a Vary’s Pistol firing, a traditional naval practice marking ceremonial occasions. This was accompanied by a fireworks display that illuminated the sky in front of Netaji Stadium, adding to the concluding sequence of the event.
Following the fireworks, ships anchored between the Marina Complex and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island were illuminated, forming a visual highlight of the ceremony. The illuminated vessels remained visible from the stadium and nearby areas as part of the official programme marking the conclusion of the celebrations.
The Beating Retreat ceremony concluded with the playing of the National Anthem, formally bringing the Republic Day 2026 celebrations to a close.
The event marked the final official function of the Republic Day programme in the islands, which had included ceremonial, cultural and public engagements over the preceding days.
