London:
Indian Navy band consisting of 66 members has joined UK's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for this year's musical event. The Navy band will perform at the event to mark India's 70th year of independence.
The Royal Edinburg Military Tattoo is actually the annual series of military tattoos which is performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth, artistic performance teams and international military bands. The performance takes place on the esplanade of the Edinburgh castle in Scotland.
It was first staged in 1950 and since then British and international musicians and acts from over 50 countries haveentertained audiences.
The Indian Band, appearing with an array of colourful dancers, comprises one officer and 65 musician-sailors,performing under the baton of Commander Vijay Charles D'Cruz, Director of Music (Navy) and the principal conductor at theevent. More than 1,200 performers from around the world will take part in this year's military musical extravaganza, with the Indian band invited to mark the 70th year of Indian independence and the India-UK Year of Culture.
"Each year, we reach out across the world to find the very best acts and bring them to Edinburgh. We are alwayslooking to bring people together to celebrate the rich differences of our global community.
"There is something for everyone in this show and an opportunity for all of us to be proud," said Brigadier David Allfrey, chief executive and producer of the tattoo. The theme for this year's week-long event, which runs until August 26, is titled 'Splash of Tartan', celebratingScotland's Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
There will be a total of 25 shows on the Esplanade of the Edinburgh Castle, with each show attracting a cast of over1,200 musicians and other players. Each show will have an audience of around 8,800 delivering an approximate total audience of 220,000 throughthe month of August. In addition, the global television audience is estimated to reach between 100 and 300 million people.
Besides the Indian band, there are participants from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Malta, Monaco and the US,and 20 bands from Britain. "It is our aspiration that, besides showcasing the Indian Navy, the deployment of our band will personally for eachindividual member be memorable and collectively enrich their repertoire," the Indian High Commission in London said in astatement. The tattoo has also launched its first app to provide an interactive guide to the 2017 show.
