To commemorate the Swarnim Vijay Varsh and as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, "Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon" is being played instead of 'Abide with me' in this year's Beating the Retreat ceremony.
The patriotic song "Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon", written in Hindi by Kavi Pradeep, composed by C Ramchandra, and sung by singer Lata Mangeshkar pays tributes to the Indian soldier and commemorates their sacrifices. Its touching lyrics highlight the ' Unity in Diversity' aspect of the Indian soldiers and has a very mesmerising and solemn impact.
The Beating Retreat Ceremony Marks the culmination of the week-long celebration of Republic Day, With India being the world's largest democracy.
Phasing out of tunes handed down from a colonial past and including tunes that have a wider and deeper connection with the people of India is an exercise that is an ongoing one.
"Abide with Me" is a popular military tune but the lyrics for this are understood by a limited few.
The iconic tune and lyrics for "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" has a far wider connection with the people of India. It is contextually far more appropriate to celebrate the valour and gallantry of the Armed Forces of India as compared to "Abide with Me" and the song also evokes a strong sense of patriotism with all Indians. It is for this reason, that in the 75th year of our Independence, we are making this change in the concluding performance of the Beating Retreat 2022.
(ANI)