Considered the impenetrable fortress of Indian defence, the Indian Army is also representative of the unity in diversity that characterises the country's social and cultural milieu.
One institution, which best exemplifies, is the internationally-acclaimed Army Symphony Band. Not only, it brings together a variety of musical instruments — Indian and Western — but, it also brings together the best musical talent that the force has across all its various sectors and divisions. This combined talent will be on display on Monday morning when the soothing strains of melody exuded by the Army Symphony Band will fill the air at a special performance during the Governor Dr. Syed Ahmed's visit to the Jharkhand War memorial at Dipatoli.
Earlier on Saturday, at a glittering soiree attended by lt. General Gyan Bhushan, the General Officer Commanding of the South-Western Command, officers of the state administration and a large number of officers and other ranks of the Indian Army, the band played a number of tunes, old and new, some unfamiliar and others well-loved, holding the audience spellbound at the Albert Ekka Centre in Dipatoli. If the tunes of patriotic songs charged up the audience, the Bollywood tunes struck a chord in their hearts and elicited resounding claps and cheers.
According to an official communiqué, "the Band was raised in 1990 at New Delhi with bandsmen taken from all military bands of the army to retain the true representation of the entire nation in one band." The Indian Army has the largest military music assembly in any army of the world, comprising 48 military bands belonging to various regiments and over 400 pipes and drums ensembles. "Each of these reflects the unique characteristics of the regions the troops come from, synonymous with the various hues and shades of our cultural diversity," said the statement. "The musicians' varied tastes in music also adds to the band's personality, as fans of Deep Purple and Bon Jovi share space with Beethoven and Bach; and RD Burman buffs join admirers of AR Rahman," reveals an army veteran, who attended a performance in Delhi.
Initially, the band played with percussion, brass and woodwind sections. In April 2011, a new strings section was added, with a cello, violas and violins, elevating it to a symphony orchestra comprising 72 musicians. later on, some Indian classical instruments like Jal Tarang, Santoor, Sitar and Tabla were also added to the ensemble. "This mix has ensured that the group is comfortable in dealing with the nuances of Mozart's symphonies, as well as the melodic inflexions of Rahman or laxmikant-Pyarelal; and switch between the two seemingly effortlessly," he added.
