The country has split opinion after the decision to cease playing the Christian hymn Abide With Me at the Beating Retreat ceremony. This ceremony honours the country’s armed forces.
India holds a grand parade every year in Delhi on 26 January, to commemorate the date in 1950 when it became a sovereign nation. Three days later, the Beating Retreat ceremony, which is a British tradition from 17 Century, marks the end of festivities.
According to a military source, the song will not be performed at this year’s event in order to allow for Indian songs. It will be replaced by Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, a patriotic Hindi song that honors the sacrifices of Indian soldiers during the 1962 war against China.
“This song connects more to the masses because it honors all those who gave their lives. The military spokesperson stated that it was more appropriate.
Others disagree and say that Abide with Me should be retained, as it has been an integral part of India’s Republic Day commemorations since 1950.
The debate surrounding the decision has been aired on news channels as well as across social media. It reignited passions about India’s complicated relationship with the British empire.
Many Indian veterans consider Abide with Me, a hymn composed in 1847 by Henry Francis Lyte, to be the most important point of the occasion.
Pavan Nair, a former army colonel and veteran who served for over 30 years, said that cutting it out “seems like cutting out tradition and throwing it in the dustbin.”
Col Nair recollects as a child watching the ceremony and later attending it in person.
“The highlight was listening to Abide with Me, and the chimes coming from the ramparts. It was beautiful and soulful.
The celebrations this year coincide with the 75th anniversary India’s independence under British rule.
Kanchan Gupta (senior adviser to the information and broadcasting ministry), stated that there is no reason why our military bands should continue playing tunes introduced by the British after 75 years of independence.
He said that the change was part of an ongoing process of decolonising India… No tradition is immune to change or evolution.”
Others argue that the song’s association to Mahatma Gandhi, an icon of independence, is exactly why it should be kept.
Gandhi’s great-grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi wrote in a newspaper that the hymn’s words and tune are universal.
“I don’t believe that the authorities can be so blind to the song’s aesthetic, spiritual, and human appeal, nor so sensitive to the feelings of those who love it.” Gandhi loved it.
Manmohan Bahadur (retired vice-marshal) agrees that Gandhi’s connection is an important reason to keep the colonial-era tune.
“Things have been. We need to learn from them. Keep the good stuff, get rid of the bad things and move on. Dropping something that is related to the father of freedom struggle has no meaning for me.
Others feel that the song’s controversy is an exaggeration.
Pratyasha Rath, who writes for the right-wing magazine Swarajya, wrote that “I honestly didn’t know anything about Abide by me” until a day ago.
Opposition parties also participated. P Chidambaram, Congress party MP, argued that the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP government had dropped the Christian hymn due to religious politics.
He wrote, “The intolerance of BJP government has reached such extents that there aren’t any words to condemn them at their attitude and outrageous acts.”
Col Nair believed the same thing and argued that the hymn’s exclusion would offend millions of Indian Christians.
“If you impose a Hindu Indianization, it is likely to upset other minorities. Although these may seem small, they add up over time.
However, Mr Gupta refutes this allegation.
He says, “It’s no that a Christian hymn was removed and a Hindu song has been placed there instead. Where is the intolerance?”
He believes this is about “a new India freeing itself from the legacy and empire” – and he claims this is happening all over the globe.
“This is also happening here in Britain, where statues of confederate leaders are being taken down as people refuse to accept their past. You can see statues of Confederate leaders being taken down in America. Is this also intolerance?
Some Indians will not notice the removal of the hymn. But others will feel the loss of a tradition that helped define Saturday’s Beating Retreat ceremony.
“Please bring something new if you wish.” Col Nair pleaded, “But don’t cut it out.”
It’s beautiful music.
