PAC band keeps beating strong with rhythm & legacy

Time of India

20-06-2025

Lucknow: The morning is thick with humidity. Clouds hang low, the air heavy and slow. But inside the 35th Battalion Band Headquarters in Lucknow's Mahanagar, the atmosphere crackles with energy — not from parade commands or marching boots, but from trumpets blaring, drums thundering, and saxophones singing in unison.
This is no ordinary music hall. Here, khaki replaces concert black, and every beat is rooted in discipline.
Awadhesh Yadav of Bareilly and Madhvendra Kumar of Ghaziabad aren't your typical musicians — they're constables with a call to serve both the nation and the note. "We're learning to command not just rifles, but rhythm," says Awadhesh, pausing between a precision-perfect snare sequence.
They are among 10 PAC personnel undergoing intensive training in brass instruments — part of a broader revival drive to modernise PAC bands across battalions.
At the heart of this effort is a proud legacy, one that marches back to the post-Independence years.
The roots of the PAC band stretch back to Captain Ram Singh Thakuri — the legendary composer of the INA's rousing anthem Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja.
Post-Independence, in 1948, he joined the Provincial Armed Constabulary as a Deputy SP with one task: to raise a ceremonial police band. What he built was a living symbol of nationalism.
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Declared the official State Police Band in 1965, it began performing at Raj Bhawan, Republic Day parades, state funerals, and cultural showcases.
Even after retirement in 1974, Captain Ram Singh continued mentoring musicians. He was named Emeritus Musician by the UP govt and trained recruits till 2000. He died in 2002.
Today, his legacy lives on in bandmaster Vishnu Pratap, who joined the PAC in 1987 and trained directly under the Captain.
"We weren't just taught music — we were taught patriotism," says Vishnu, who has led the band at grand events including Prayagraj's Kumbh Mela and global expos in Noida.
As part of chief minister Yogi Adityanath's directive, PAC bands are being overhauled — with upgraded instruments, improved training infrastructure, and dedicated performance spaces wherever they are deployed.
"We've begun intensive 90-day training sessions for constables from different battalions," says Vishnu.
"But mastery takes time — at least three years of consistent monitoring and hard work."
A full-fledged brass band has 46 musicians, though compact units of 22 are also fielded. The ensemble features a powerful line-up: trumpets, cornets, clarinets, flugelhorns, saxophones, euphoniums, tubas, French horns, and more. "We have it all — from alto trumpet to baritone horn," Vishnu says.
Among those training under him are constables like Sudhir Maurya from Gonda. "It's a privilege to be part of the tradition started by Captain Ram Singh," says Madhvendra. To honour this legacy, a dedicated PAC Band Museum has been set up on the 35th Battalion campus. Soon to be inaugurated, the museum showcases vintage instruments, historic uniforms, handwritten musical scores by Captain Ram Singh, and decades-spanning photographs of performances that stirred both hearts and parades.
As Vishnu lifts his baton and the brass band comes alive once more, on Saturday they will perform at Raj Bhawan: "For our men in uniform, music is not just an art — it's a duty. And this duty does not fade," adds Vishnu.