Dropped from Beating Retreat, 'Abide With Me' sung at Sabarmati Ashram

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government dropped the hymn 'Abide with Me' from the Republic Day's Beating the Retreat ceremony, causing a huge uproar in the country, the 19th-century hymn was sung for the first time at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad during its unique all-religion prayer meet held on Sunday on occasion of its founder Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary.

The hymn, considered to be personal favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, was included in the prayers for the first time and was sung by Bhadraben Savai at Hriday Kunj, the heart of the Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi lived with his wife Kasturba. Savai, who has been singing bhajans at the Ashram for nearly three decades, told DH, "I was handed over a copy to sing it. I sang it for the first time and it was beautiful."

Savai sang a Gujarati translated version of the hymn entitled "Hath Have Tun Jhal Hari". According to ashram officials, the hymn has been translated into Gujarati by poet and writer Pratishtha Pandya. One of the officials of the Ashram said, "there is no political overtone to it. It was simply included as part of the all-faith meet."

"The hymn has always been part of Bhajanmala, a booklet of devotional songs, at the Sabarmati Ashram. It was close to Gandhi's heart," said Ashoke Chatterjee, a trustee of Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT), which manages the Ashram.

Sabarmati Ashram is said to be the only place where verses of Quran, Bible, Gurbani, are recited by their respective priests along with shlokas from Hindu scriptures. Gandhi's other favourite bhajans such as Tulsidas's "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" and Narsi Mehta's "Vaishnav Jan" are also sung.

When asked about what was the significance of reciting the hymn at the Ashram, Chatterjee, former director of city-based National Institute of Design (NID), told DH, "It has great significance. The Christian hymn symbolizes Gandhi's vision of an inclusive society. Whereas its removal sends a message that Christianity is not part of India. Therefore, it is important that we do things to respect the values Gandhi stood for." He lamented that under the watch of the defense ministry, the tradition of ending Republic Day festivities has been altered in the name of "decolonising" India.

The removal of "Abide With Me", a hymn written by Henry Francis Lyte of Scotland in the 19th century, from the annual Republic Day celebration sparked controversy and divided opinion. The Christian hymn used to mark the conclusion of three day Beating the Retreat ceremony of the Republic Day festivities beginning January 26.

January 30 is remembered as "Martyrs' Day" in the country for it was on this day in 1948 when Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi dead from point-blank range in New Delhi. The cross-religion hymnal is sung at Hriday Kunj twice- on the death anniversary of Gandhi, and on October 2, his birth anniversary.

The ashram, which Gandhi founded in 1917 and lived for next 13 years, is at the cusp of a major change that is said to be threatening its autonomy. The BJP government has earmarked Rs 1,200 crore fund to redevelop the ashram and its precinct. The government has formed a new trust called, "Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust" to manage the redevelopment project.

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