Since the termination of British power from India the various bands of the
Indian Army had to be re-oriented to render them truly Indian. The task was not
easy as with the division of the country many bandsmen of various units opted
for Pakistan. Under the distinguished patronage of Gen. K.M Kariappa, OBE the
then Commander-In-Chief of the Indian Army, a Military School of Music was
established in Pachmarhi in 1950. Here the bandsmen of the bands of the various
defence forces are given training in playing the various instruments used in the
Military bands.
Click here for seeing a BBC report by Mark Tully,
regarding the Indian School of Military Music. The site also has a 13 minute audio clip
which has information about the training of the bandsmen.
In the early years our bandsmen had to play western martial tunes as suitable
native material scores did not exist. Gradually over the years a small group of
composers sprang up who composed martial music appropriate for our Bands, based
on the folk-lore of the regions which contributed most to the strength of the
Indian Defence Forces. Thus the folk lores of Punjab, Rajasthan, Marwar, Garhwal
and Konkan coast have given inspiration to the Indian composers.
The tunes in this presentation, may be used only for listening and evaluation
purpose. The copy rights of the songs lies with the Indian Armed Forces.
For ordering the audio tapes, you may contact the Navy Director of Music, Mumbai,
or the Ceremonial Directorate, Adjutant General's Branch, New Delhi. Real
Audio Player is required to listen to the tunes. This section is maintained
by Sachin Keshavan P.
