<p>A week of military pageantry ended on Saturday with a synchronised drone display showcasing India's homegrown tech industry, in patriotic celebrations marking a milestone in the country's independence history.</p>.<p>A thousand aircraft flew in formation in the night skies above the capital New Delhi, flashing the saffron, white and green of the national flag, before rearranging themselves into a silhouette of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.</p>.<p>The light show closed a series of extravagant sunset troop manoeuvres for India's Beating Retreat, a music-filled drill ceremony for soldiers returning to base that has its origins in 17th-century British military tradition.</p>.<p>It is staged each year three days after the country's annual celebrations to mark the anniversary of India's 1950 republican constitution.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/abide-with-me-and-the-idea-of-india-1075543.html" target="_blank">'Abide with me' and the idea of India</a></strong></p>.<p>The event has special significance this year as the nation of 1.4 billion people prepares to mark 75 years since the end of British colonial rule in August.</p>.<p>This year's Beating Retreat sparked a minor local controversy over the decision by PM Narendra Modi's government to drop the Christian hymn "Abide With Me" from the ceremony's featured songs.</p>.<p>The hymn, said to be a favourite of Gandhi, was dropped because it was a sign of the country's colonial past, media reports said, quoting government sources.</p>.<p>The song had been a permanent fixture of the ceremony since 1950.</p>.<p>It has been replaced by a patriotic song dedicated to Indian soldiers who died in a brief border war with China in 1962.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>A week of military pageantry ended on Saturday with a synchronised drone display showcasing India's homegrown tech industry, in patriotic celebrations marking a milestone in the country's independence history.</p>.<p>A thousand aircraft flew in formation in the night skies above the capital New Delhi, flashing the saffron, white and green of the national flag, before rearranging themselves into a silhouette of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi.</p>.<p>The light show closed a series of extravagant sunset troop manoeuvres for India's Beating Retreat, a music-filled drill ceremony for soldiers returning to base that has its origins in 17th-century British military tradition.</p>.<p>It is staged each year three days after the country's annual celebrations to mark the anniversary of India's 1950 republican constitution.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/abide-with-me-and-the-idea-of-india-1075543.html" target="_blank">'Abide with me' and the idea of India</a></strong></p>.<p>The event has special significance this year as the nation of 1.4 billion people prepares to mark 75 years since the end of British colonial rule in August.</p>.<p>This year's Beating Retreat sparked a minor local controversy over the decision by PM Narendra Modi's government to drop the Christian hymn "Abide With Me" from the ceremony's featured songs.</p>.<p>The hymn, said to be a favourite of Gandhi, was dropped because it was a sign of the country's colonial past, media reports said, quoting government sources.</p>.<p>The song had been a permanent fixture of the ceremony since 1950.</p>.<p>It has been replaced by a patriotic song dedicated to Indian soldiers who died in a brief border war with China in 1962.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>