Beating the Retreat ceremony: Presidential buggy makes a comeback

“It lends a lot of elegance to a function like Beating Retreat when President arrives in the buggy which has been part of our tradition,” said Venu Rajamony, Press Secretary to the President.

President has been using the buggy to move around within the Rashtrapati Bhavan as it is environment friendly, he said.  

Almost 30 years ago, former President late Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had used the buggy to reach the exit gate of Rashtrapati Bhavan from where he would travel in car to attend the ceremony.

An open horses driven buggy was seen as a security threat by security agencies then, following which the traditional carriage was replaced by bullet-proof cars.

The practice followed till this year's Beating the Retreat ceremony.