Republic Day: Mahatma Gandhi's favourite 'Abide With Me' hymn dropped from Beating Retreat ceremony

New Delhi: The Christian hymn ‘Abide with me’ — that signalled the conclusion of the Beating Retreat ceremony — has been dropped from the list of tunes two years after it was first speculated. The solemn hymn was played all these years on January 29 at the Beating Retreat ceremony — a centuries-old military tradition that, in war, marked the end of fighting for the day, with soldiers sheathing arms and withdrawing from the battlefield.Also Read - Republic Day Day Day Parade This Year To Have 25 Tableaux, 16 Marching Contingents | Details Here

The development comes a day after the controversy over the shifting of Amar Jawan Jyoti from India Gate — where it existed for 50 years — to the new National War Memorial. In 2020, the plan to drop the ‘Abide with me’ hymn – known to be Mahatama Gandhi’s favourite, triggered controversy as it was being seen as a non-inclusive approach by the Narendra Modi-led government. However, the hymn was played in the years 2020 and 2021, putting to rest all speculations. Also Read - Security Alert Issued In Delhi-NCR After Intelligence Inputs Of Possible Terror Attack Ahead Of Republic Day 2022

Over the last few years, Indian compositions have made their way into the military bands that earlier mostly played British martial tunes. This year, Lata Mangeshkar’s song ‘Ae mere watan ke logon’ was on the list of tunes other than military compositions. It will be followed by Iqbal’s ‘Saare jahan se achha’, the last composition to be played, reported India Today.