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The '''Madras Regiment Band (MRC Band)''' is an [[Indian Army]] regimental [[military band|band]]. It is an active duty band that serves as part of the Madras Regimental Centre in [[Wellington, Tamil Nadu|Wellington]]. It also serves as the ''de facto'' unit band of the [[Defence Services Staff College]] in the city. The MRC band is regarded as one of the best military bands in the [[Indian Army]]. The band consists of the following small ensembles: Symphony Band, [[Brass Band]], and Percussion Section. The 27th Battalion also maintains its own [[Pipe Band]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Spectacular Performance by Indian Army Band at Amity University Details | website=Amity University Noida | url=https://amity.edu/events/eventdetails.asp?id=6028 | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref> Outside the conventional musical ensembles of the military, a [[Chenda|Chenda Melam]] team is also on hand.

==History==
The band is a descendant of many military bands that operated inside the [[Madras Presidency]] and the larger [[British Raj]]. One of these include the [[Greater Chennai Corporation]] Band (now the Madras Corporation Band), which was established in 1813 as a result of a letter to the Secretary of the Commander-in-Chief of [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] by a [[British Army]] Colonel, who urged the formation of military bands among the native regiments of the [[East India Company]] as a means "of improving the appreciation of European
music amongst the Indian population".<ref>https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/music/opencmscontent.aspx%3Fid%3D66f27991-c625-4d2b-9baf-e3b343e9abd2&ved=2ahUKEwiri9PK1ITnAhWbLc0KHXCcDssQFjALegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw12cfnmwVN6Z9Mtc-qCYyu4</ref><ref>{{cite journal | jstor=834506 | title=The Madras Corporation Band: A Story of Social Change and Indigenization | last1=Booth | first1=Gregory D. | journal=Asian Music | year=1996 | volume=28 | issue=1 | pages=61–86 | doi=10.2307/834506 }}</ref><ref>Scott, ?, Letter to the Military Secretary for the Commander-in-Chief, Fort St. George, in Madras General Orders,
Military Files, British Government Document, in Booth, op.cit., p.63.</ref> Around the same time, the [[Tanjore]] Royal Band was created by decree of [[Serfoji II]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Padmanabhan | first=Geeta | title=Five facts about The Madras Corporation Band | website=The Hindu | date=2016-02-09 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/five-facts-about-the-madras-corporation-band/article8214109.ece | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref> Units such as the [[Madras Rifle Corps]] maintained platoon sized fire and Drum Corps.<ref name="Wilson">History of the Madras Army by Lieutenant Colonel William John Wilson, 1883</ref> The band in its current form was raised in 1951 as a brass band, just four years after [[Indian Independence Act 1947|Indian independence]]. Over the years, it has evolved to also include other aspects of music.<ref>{{cite web | title=Madras Regiment Symphony Band of Indian Army to perform at IIMA | website=DeshGujarat | date=2018-02-16 | url=https://www.deshgujarat.com/2018/02/16/madras-regiment-symphony-band-of-indian-army-to-perform-at-iima/ | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref><ref>https://seminar.iima.ac.in/assets/upload/media/19393918420180216_Indian%2520Army%2520(MADRAS)%2520Regiment%2520Symphony%2520Band%2520to%2520perform%2520at%2520IIMA.docx&ved=2ahUKEwjm2Ny42PTnAhUYnZ4KHVIPCtw4ChAWMAR6BAgGEAE&usg=AOvVaw3CqbHJr3zGpvRzLEQCfEFY {{dead link|date=June 2020}}</ref> In 1994, the band won an award for its marching performance in the [[Delhi Republic Day parade]] on the [[Rajpath]], of which it is an annual participant. It would win the same award again in 1996 and in 2001.<ref>{{cite web | last=Krishnaswamy | first=Murali N. | title=Heroes from the hills | website=The Hindu | date=2012-09-17 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/heroes-from-the-hills/article3906763.ece | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref>

==Activities==
It has performed at [[state visits|arrival ceremonies]] at the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] as well as events hosted by the [[President of India]]. It also welcomes Union ministers to different part of he country. In 1999, the band took part in the welcoming of [[Ministry of Railways (India)|Union Minister of Railways]] [[Nitish Kumar]] to the [[municipality]] of [[Coonoor]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Krishnan | first=V.M.G. | title=Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR): From Lifeline to Oblivion | publisher=Notion Press | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-64249-488-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Co5ODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT86 | access-date=2020-06-16 | page=86}}</ref> It also participates in regimental and community events such as the MRC reunion.<ref>{{cite web | last=India | first=Team Outlook | title=Three-day Reunion of Madras Regiment begins | website=www.outlookindia.com/ | date=2017-05-26 | url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/threeday-reunion-of-madras-regiment-begins/1060624 | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref> Regimental activities include anniversaries such as 4 December (MRC Raising Day<ref>{{cite web | title=Madras Regiment celebrates 253rd anniversary | website=The Times of India | date=2011-12-05 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Madras-Regiment-celebrates-253rd-anniversary/articleshow/10987184.cms | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref>) or 1 October (anniversary of the 25th Battalion).<ref>{{cite web | title=h7 | website=sainiksamachar.nic.in | date=2016-10-01 | url=http://www.sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2016/nov01-16/h7.htm | access-date=2020-06-16}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Indian Army Chief's Band]]
*[[Band of the Royal Canadian Engineers]]
*[[Indian military bands]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1951]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1951]]
[[Category:1951 establishments in Madras State]]
[[Category:Indian military bands]]

Madras Regiment Band - Revision history

Bot at 11:41, 26 September 2022