Government Drops Gandhi's Favoured Hymn, Calls India Gate "Colonial Past"
NDTV
In India, the Beating Retreat ceremony, performed at Vijay Chowk in Delhi in the evening of January 29 every year, marks the end of Republic Day festivities
The government has chosen to omit 'Abide With Me', the solemn hymn that signalled the conclusion of 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.
In India, the Beating Retreat ceremony, performed at Vijay Chowk in Delhi in the evening of January 29 every year, marks the end of Republic Day festivities.
The decision to omit the popular hymn comes a day after the government 'shifted' the 'eternal flame' from Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate to the nearby National War Memorial.
While it is believed the original flame at India Gate, which honours the 'unknown soldier' will remain, government sources said "The names inscribed there are only of some martyrs who fought for the British in World War I and the Anglo-Afghan War, and thus is a symbol of our colonial past."
