Special Treats in 2022 Beating Retreat

 Soulful 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo‘ instead of Mourful ‘Abide With Me’ PLUS  1000-drone spectacle brings R-Day celebrations to a close.

Manorama &  Mathrubhumi  today have prominently in the front page given a news that Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymn Abide with Me has been dropped from the Beating the Retreat ceremony on Jan 29 to mark the end of the Republic Day celebrations.

Other paid Medias also might have followed suit . These paid Medias conveniently omit the reason for such a decision as they are basically anti- BJP .

Abide with Me is in fact a Christian hymn written by Scottish Anglican Priest Henry Francis Lyte . It was written in 1847  while visiting a  dying friend . A prayer to God to stay with him through out life and death . It’s lyrics include “ Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes , shine through the gloom and point me to the skies . Heaven’s morning breaks , and Earth’ vain shadows flee , in life and death , O Lord , abide with me “ . This tune most often used with hymn is “ Eventide “ composed by English organist and church musician William Henry Monk .                                                               

What has an independent India to do with this Christian Hymn praying to God to  hold the Cross before his closing eyes ? Another funny but glaring fact is that those sections of religious and political groups who object to the singing of “ Vande Matharam “ have no objection to the colonial relic of this Christian Hymn . Just because Mahatma Gandhi liked this Hymn , does not mean that India keep on singing this Hymn in “ Beating the Retreat “ for all times to come , especially considering the fact that Beating the Retreat ceremony was not there during Gandhi’s life time . In its place , two popular patriotic songs have been included viz.  ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ , Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja and Hind Ki Sena.

`Abide with Me’, the haunting Christian hymn written by Scottish Anglican poet and hymnologist Henry Francis Lyte in 1847, has been part of the ‘Beating the Retreat Ceremony’ since 1950. The hymn which is popular across Christian denominations, was reported to have been played at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II. It is also reported that, the hymn is sung regularly in church choirs. The hymn is now replaced by Kavi Pradeep’s seminal piece Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon, which was written in the wake of the Sino-Indian War, and went on to become representative of Indian Nationalism.

‘Beating the Retreat’ has traditionally ended with the hymn, ‘Abide With Me’.  However, this year, military buglers will play the iconic patriotic song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ in the end. The other popular tunes that will be played at the ceremony, include, Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja and Hind Ki Sena.

Beating the Retreat will feature bands from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Central Armed Police Forces, apart from buglers and pipes and drums bands. The ceremony involves the lowering the flags, against the backdrop of the setting sun, and a simultaneous lighting up of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, South Block, North Block and Parliament House.

Further the Eternal Flame, Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate, was also merged on Friday, January 21, 2022 with the National War Memorial (NWM)  with the motive of developing a single site for paying homage to India’s fallen heroes, and conducting all ceremonial functions. As on date, the names of 26,466 brave warriors are inscribed on the memorial, including the ones, who fell in the 1971 war.

For the information of our readers, the meaning of two Lyrics – Old hymn of Abide with Me and the newly introduced hymn of Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo (O, People of My Country) are published hereunder:

ABIDE WITH ME

Abide with me, fast falls the even tide

The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide
When other helpers fail and comforts flee
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away
Change and decay in all around I see
O Thou who changest not, abide with me

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness
Where is death's sting?
Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee
In life, in death, o Lord, abide with me
Abide with me, abide with me

The meaning of New Hymn sung in the Beating Retreat this year – Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo is published hereunder:

Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo

"O' people of my country")

Oh, my fellow citizens! Chant slogans in praise of our country.

This is an auspicious day for us all,  so fly our beloved tri-color flag.

Yet, do not forget that brave soldiers have lost their lives on our borders.

Remember those who have not returned home.

Oh, my fellow citizens! Shed a few tears.

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

Listen to this story so that you do not forget them.

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

When the great Himalayas were wounded and our freedom was in danger,

They fought until their last breath and then laid their corpses to the ground.

Resting their heads on bayonets, these immortal martyrs fell into an eternal sleep.

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

When our country celebrated Diwali, they were playing Holi on the battlefield.

As we sat comfortably in our homes, they were firing bullets.

Blessed were those soldiers, and blessed was their youth.

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

Some were Sikh, Jaat, or Marathi; some were Gurkha or Madrasi.

But each man who died on the border was an Indian,

And the blood that stained the mountainside was Indian blood.

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

Although their bodies were soaked in blood, they still raised their guns.

Each man shot tens of enemy soldiers and then fell unconscious to the ground.

When the final moment came, they said: “Now we shall die.

My beloved countrymen, stay happy. We now begin our final journey to the afterlife.”

They displayed such passion and dignity.

 

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

This story has been recounted so that you do not forget them.

Remember the sacrifice of those martyrs.

Victory to India and its armed forces!