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The National School Band Competition, as part of the Republic Day Celebrations 2026, has culminated at the Zonal level, with 16 teams being shortlisted to perform in the grand finale at the National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi, on January 24, 2026.
According to an official release from the Ministry of Defence, the 16 teams - four from each zone (East, West, North & South) in Brass Band Boys, Brass Band Girls, Pipe Band Boys and Pipe Band Girls categories, will compete in the grand finale, organised to rejuvenate and rekindle the spirit of patriotism and unity among school children throughout the country. The list of 16 teams shortlisted consists of St. Xavier's High School in Lupungutu, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum, Jharkhand, in the East Zone, and Sanjivini Sainik School & Junior College in Kopargaon, Distt. Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra, in the West Zone. City Montessori School on Kanpur Road, LDA, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, in the North Zone and PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Periye, Kasaragod, Kerala, in the South Zone, as the Brass Band Boys. In the Brass Band Girls category, the eastern region is represented by Holly Cross High School in Karbook, Gomati, Tripura, while the west is represented by Don Bosco High School & Junior College in Vikhroli East, Mumbai. From the north, St. Joseph College in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has been selected, and Providence Girls Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode, Kerala, represents the southern region. The Pipe Band Boys category features Kairali School in Ranchi, Jharkhand, for the East and Shree Swami Narayan Gurukul Kumar Vidyalaya in Gir Somnath, Gujarat, for the West. Representing the North is the Government Boys Sr. Secondary School in Badli, Delhi, while the Great India Sainik School in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, represents the South, as per the release. For the Pipe Band Girls, the East is represented by Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Kanke, Ranchi, and the West by PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Suratgarh, Rajasthan. The Northern representative is Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Palam Colony, Delhi, and the South is represented by PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya, ASC Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka. The top three teams in each category will be given a cash prize (1st - Rs 51,000/-, 2nd - Rs 31,000/-, 3rd - Rs 21,000/-), a trophy, and certificates. Consolation cash prize of Rs 11,000/- will be given to the remaining team in each category. Their performances will be evaluated by the Jury appointed by the Ministry of Defence, including members from each wing of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force). The Competition is being jointly conducted by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education. The first level was conducted by all States/Union Territories (UTs), including schools from CBSE, ICSE, KVS, NVS, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya, PM-SHRI and Sainik schools, etc., the release noted. Four winning band groups from each State, in each category, participated in the Zonal-level competition. Building on the success of last year's competition, enthusiasm and participation scaled up significantly this year. 763 school band teams participated at the State level, out of which 94 school band teams were shortlisted for the Zonal level. In the Zonal level competition, 80 school band teams from 30 States/UTs, comprising 2,217 children, participated. (ANI)
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