Defence - 18 hours ago

Republic Day Celebrations 2025: Grand finale of National School Band Competition to be held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi

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The grand finale of National School Band Competition 2024-25, organised as part of Republic Day Celebrations (RDC) 2025, will be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi on January 24 & 25, 2025. The prize distribution ceremony on 25th January will be graced by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth, while the event will be inaugurated by Defence Secretary and Secretary, Ministry of Education.

A total of 16 band teams – four from each zone (East, West, North & South zone) – comprising 466 children will compete in the Grand Finale. It has been organised to rejuvenate and rekindle the spirit of patriotism & unity amongst children in schools throughout the country and motivate them on the path of holistic education. The list of 16 teams shortlisted as finalists is as under:

S No	School	Category
(a)	North Sikkim Academy, Nangan, Sikkim (Eastern Zone)	Pipe Band Boys
(b)	PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 Belagavi Cantt. Karnataka (Southern Zone)
(c)	Rajarambapu Patil Military School & Sports Academy Islampur, Sangli, Maharashtra (Western Zone)
(d)	City Montessori School, Kanpur Road Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (Northern Zone)
(e)	St. Joseph’s Convent Sr. Sec. School, Idgah hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (Western Zone)	Brass Band Girls
(f)	Government Sr. Sec. School West Point, Gangtok, Sikkim (Eastern Zone)
(g)	St Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girl’s Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode, Kerala (Southern Zone)
(h)	Gayatri Vidyapeeth, Shantikunj, Haridwar, Uttrakhand (Northern Zone)
(i)	Shri Thakurdwara Balika Vidyalaya, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (Northern Zone)	Pipe Band Girls
(j)	Bhonsala Military School Girls, Nasik, Maharashtra (Western Zone)
(k)	Monte CBSE School, Kurnool, Pandipadu Village, Kallur Mandal Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh (Southern Zone)
(l)	PM Shri Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Patamda, East Singhbum, Jharkhand (Eastern Zone)
(m)	Pinegrove School, Subathu, District-Solan, Himachal Pradesh (Northern Zone)	Brass Band Boys
(n)	Prince Lotus Valley Academy, Sikar, Rajasthan (Western Zone)
(o)	St. Xavier’s English Medium School, Pathalgaon, Chhattisgarh (Southern Zone)
(p)	St. Xavier’s Higher Secondary School, Pathaliaghat, Sepahijala, Tripura (Eastern Zone)

The top three teams in each category will be given a cash prize (1st – Rs 21,000/-, 2nd – Rs 16,000/- & 3rd – Rs 11,000/-), a trophy as well as certificates. Consolation cash prize of Rs 3,000/- each will be given to the remaining team in each category. Their performances will be evaluated by the Jury appointed by Ministry of Defence including members from each wing of the Armed Forces.

From RDC 2023 onwards, the National School Band Competition is being jointly conducted by Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education. A School Band evokes a feeling of oneness, belonging and pride in school children towards their school and country. The rhythm of a band rouses passion, courage and action in children and adults alike.

The Competition consists of three levels [State Level, Zonal Level, & National Level (final)] in four categories (Boys Brass Band, Girls Brass Band, Boys Pipe Band and Girls Pipe Band). Building on the success from last year’s competition, the Competition garnered significant enthusiasm this year. Over 700 school band teams from 34 States/Union Territories (UTs) registered for the competition at State Level, in which 568 teams comprising around 14,000 children participated. At the zonal level, 84 teams comprising 2,337 students from 31 States/UTs participated, of which 16 finalists teams have been shortlisted for the grand finale.