Indian Navy band perform at AFMC

PUNE: The Indian Naval symphonic band performed at Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) on Wednesday at the mammoth Dhanvantari auditorium enthralling a packed audience of officers, cadets and veterans.
This band as musical ambassador of the nation, has regaled music aficionados across the globe, performing at international fleet reviews, music festivals, coronations and parades.Under the baton of commander V C D’Cruz, the 45 member orchestra performed a variety of genres, from military marches, western classical, Goan folk, to jazz and popular tunes. In stark contrast to this age of electronically treated music the pure and rich notes from trumpets, clarinets, saxophones and oboes resonated through the audience, touching a deep chord within.
The band struck up with a rousing fanfare, moved through a light overture, to an interesting improvisation on the xylophone played arrestingly by two of the junior most musicians, barely out of their teens. Then came a medley of numbers with the big brass-band sound topped off by 'Tequila', which had the crowd tapping their feet. They ended with a rousing rendition of patriotic songs. Medical cadets of AFMC performed a surprise item with the band, a medley, admirably keeping pace with professionals.
On this occasion, surgeon vice admiral Sushil Kumar, director and com-mandant, AFMC inaugurated a model of the destroyer INS Delhi, presented to AFMC by the Naval Dockyard at Mumbai. Indigenously constructed at Mazgaon docks, Mumbai, INS Delhi is the pride of the Indian Navy and a symbol of the nation’s capabilities. The 14th Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral (retd) J G Nadkarni along with several other veteran officers of the Indian Navy and army too graced the occasion.