During his visit to Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The Prime Minister continued his annual tradition of celebrating Diwali with soldiers. He was seen donning an army camouflage jacket.
He left for Nowshera early in the morning today with minimal security arrangements and no traffic restrictions in place on the route in Delhi.
Notably, PM Modi has been visiting soldiers on Diwali, ever since he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Last year, PM Modi while celebrating Diwali with soldiers at Longewala in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan had said that as long as the Indian soldiers are present, this country's Diwali celebrations would continue in full swing and be luminescent.
In 2019, the Prime Minister had celebrated the festival with soldiers in the Rajouri district along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the preceding years as well, the Prime Minister has celebrated Diwali with Army soldiers and other personnel of paramilitary soldiers.
Diwali is observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar and it is believed that on this day Lord Rama (the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu) returned from a 14-year-long exile during which he fought and won a battle against the demon king Ravan.
People celebrate the festival by decorating their houses, exchanging gifts, and offering prayers in order to commemorate the "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance."
( With inputs from ANI )
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