The pipe band of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) Group 2 is rehearsing at Central Mumbai's Shivaji Park for the 69th Republic Day under SRPF Additional Director General, Archana Tyagi's command watch. He may be tired, leading the band's practice since early morning, but 52-year-old chief trainer Navnath Mahipati Ugalmugale does not allow that to get the better of him while he shouts, gesticulates and even intermittently demonstrates a point by taking up the bagpipe himself. "It is always better to be able to play the instrument you are teaching others," says the native from Beed, a city in Central Maharashtra. Soon after addressing the gathered paramilitary jawans on how to play, he says, "There'll be a great gathering in the sky / When all of God's children get home / We'll join the happy millions as they sing / There around the great white throne."

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The band later breaks into Pride of Scotland and Scotland the Brave, and Ugalmugale explains how many of these numbers that form the mainstay of the band's traditional repertoire are hand-me-downs from the colonial era. "This repertoire is reflective of the eclectic ecumenism of the land," he says, brushing off suggestions of exceptionalism. "We need more of this to ensure people see that human emotions go above the confines of religion, region, etc."

He should know. After all, he spent nearly two-and-a-half decades with the Indian Army brand as an alumnus of the Military Music Wing of Army Education Corps Training College (MWAECTC) in the army cantonment at the Central Indian hill station of Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh. This nearly 70-year-old institution is the go-to place for bands and military musicians from not only India's South Asian neighbours, but also some African and far South-East Asian countries besides the three defence services and paramilitary forces of India. In fact, the Indian Armed Forces band has found a Guinness Book mention for being the largest military band under one conductor its rendition of Amazing Grace with a whopping 4,459 musicians.

Ugalmugale's eyes light up as he speaks of his alma mater's glory. He was so good at what he did that the ex-Maharashtra Director General of Police, Sanjeev Dayal, asked him to join the SRPF in 2012 the same day he voluntarily retired from the army. "After the existing pipe band completely shut down in 2007, Dayal was keen for it to be restarted. I was able to not only train and create a pipe band in 40 days in 2012, but also won the All India Police Band Competition twice in a row the last two years. We are looking at a hat-trick in the 19th edition of the competition."

THE REPERTORIE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

Republic Day preparations are also in full swing at the MWAECTC. Here, the closing bars of When the Saints Go Marching In plays out before the band breaks into Auld Lang Syne. An instructor, Naveen Kumar, points out that the army, navy and air force bands have larger repertoires of British era hand-me-downs.

"These have been retained in a spirit of continuity, especially given their iconic significance and lyrics," says Kumar. Sure enough, Alexey Kaleynikov's Glory To The Motherland plays out soon after the General Salute tune. The band also practises Shubh Swagatam (Narindar Sharma's lyrics set to tune by one of India's best musicians-in-uniform LB Gurung), followed by an Indian classical Raag Yaman composition, then folk compositions in Kumaoni, Dogri, Gorkhali, Rajasthani, Konkani and Malayalam), and several compositions in honour very high ranking decorated war hero soldiers followed by Qadam Qadam Badhaye Jaa, the tune to which Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army marched. "Though it's inspired several reprisals by film music composers from C Ramchandra to AR Rahman, the army version, which reflects the original, unfailingly strikes a chord among listeners who sing along," admits Kumar, who counts it among his favourites.

Maj (retd) Nazir Hussain – Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) awardee, who was music advisor to the Indian Army, and has composed tributes to several legendary army generals – feels these tributes should become a permanent feature in the Rajpath march-pasts. "That will be fitting honour for these heroes," he says, and adds, "While the occasional presence of a film composition is fine, care needs to be taken it does not take away from the spirit of what the men in uniform stand for," he says, and cites the instance of Vatan Ki Raah Pe' from Shaheed (1948) by Khan Mastana, and Mohammed Rafi. "Both, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan's lyrics and Ghulam Haider's music blend beautifully to create a patriotic feel."

Chief trainer Navnath Mahipati Ugalmugale with the SRPF band at an early morning training session for Republic Day

Ugalmugale says the eclecticism of the defence bands is seen even among paramilitaries. "It is unlikely that regional and sub-regional music will not find articulation when you draw upon a talent pool of local musicians." He further explains, "In Maharashtra's SRPF Group 5, this stands out even more since so many ideologies which are seen as mutually exclusive and opposed to each other find expression in the same repertoire." So the famous ghazal by Mohammed Iqbal (who migrated to Pakistan after the Partition), Saare Jahaan Se Achcha, often plays back to back with ultranationalist ideologue Vinayak Damodar Sawarkar's Jayostute (his composition from the confines of prison while incarcerated in the Andamans). This is also interspersed with the state anthem Jai Jai Maharashtra Maajha and patriotic film songs like the Kaifi Azmi classic Kar Chale Hum Fida Jaan-O-Tann Saathiyon or even the title tune of the TV series Tipu Sultan (a Naushad composition).

STALWARTS PRAISE

Godfather of Indian jazz, film composer and keyboardist-singer Louis Banks who composed the music for the trilogy Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, Desh Raag and the Spread The Light of Freedom films, says he finds the mix-and-match of the military, paramilitary and police bands fascinating. "Given their resources and time constraints, it is amazing to hear how these compositions are arranged and the final effect they produce. Given that these are iconic songs is known to practically everyone in the gathering, it is much more important that every live rendition is flawless. Hats off to these musicians."

Balladeer-poet Sambhaji Bhagat however laments that the subaltern voice still finds no place in these repertoires because of its subversive content. "Underprivileged, oppressed voices often go beyond the boundaries of the nation-state and sovereignty to demand justice. One only hopes that this voice too will find resonance in this music. Then it will not only be cheered but truly be owned by masses."

Jai Hind to that!