Abide With Me, the Christian hymn dropped from Beating Retreat ceremony of Republic day Celebrations.

Why in news?

• The government has dropped Abide With Me, a hymn that has been a fixture in the Beating Retreat ceremony since 1950.
• The ceremony will end with Sare Jahan Se Accha by the Buglers.

About the song

• The hymn written by Henry Francis Lyte, is set to the tune of Eventide by William Henry Monk.

Significance

• Abide With Me was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s personal favourites.
• At Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the ashram bhajanavali — the first and probably the only cross-religion hymnal anywhere — with the bhajans ‘Vaishnav Jan Toh’ and the well-known Ram Dhun by Tulsidas, ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ in it, Abide With Me, along with Lead Kindly Light, was put together under Gandhi’s watch.