A day after relocating the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate to the national war memorial, the government decided to drop ‘Abide with Me’, the Christian hymn that marks the conclusion of the Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29 — at the end of Republic Day festivities. The hymn which was Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite has been replaced by the patriotic song, ‘Mere Watan Ke Logon’, penned in Hindi by Kavi Pradeep, composed by C Ramchanadra and sung by Lata Mangeshkar – commemorating soldiers who died during the war with China in 1962 — will replace the iconic tune. This is believed to be an effort a…
