India, Feb. 1 -- Like many Indians, I too was upset when the Beating Retreat at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi, which marks the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations, stopped the tradition of ending the display of massed bands with the playing of the hymn 'Abide with Me'. The hymn is both lovely and soulful, and the manner in which the bells on the towers of North and South Block synchronised their sound was, indeed, memorable.

But this year, when the Beating Retreat ended with the playing of Vande Mataram, I found it deeply moving too. The way the notes of our iconic national song suffused the evening, with the esraj, flute, and the tabla combining perfectly with the bagpipe, clarinet, drums, and trombone of the military orchestra, was...