Diwali 2020: Indo-Tibetan border forces soldiers celebrated Diwali at a height of 17,000 feet in Ladakh
New Delhi:
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) soldiers celebrated Diwali at a height of 17,000 feet in sub-zero temperatures in Ladakh. Jawans of the paramilitary force guard the country’s 2,488-km factor border with China, or the effective line of control.
ITBP soldiers performed puja, lit diyas, followed by a festive dance at a post in Ladakh where the temperature is minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature here even drops to minus 40 degrees as winter sets in.
The soldiers also sang the classical composition of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee “Aao Phir Phir Diya Jalaaen”, and dedicated it to the nation on the occasion of Diwali.
#ITBP jawans celebrate #Diwali at 17,000 feet in #Ladakh where the temperature is minus 20 degrees! pic.twitter.com/4YGuMQk2lA
– Neeta Sharma (@ NEETAS11) November 14, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called on the nation to light a diya, a traditional earthen lamp, on Diwali for soldiers guarding India’s borders.
“This Diwali, let’s also light a Diya in tribute to the soldiers who fearlessly protect our nation. Words cannot do justice to the feeling of gratitude we have for our soldiers for their exemplary courage. We are also grateful to the families of those on the border, ”Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
Continuing his tradition of spending Diwali with soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived today in the iconic Longewala of Jaisalmer, where he attacked Chinese “expansionist” forces who show a “distorted state of mind that belongs to the 18th century”.
The comment comes a day after 11 people, including five soldiers, were killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in several areas of northern J&K.
Last year, the Prime Minister visited the Rajouri district of J&K to celebrate Diwali with soldiers guarding the line of control. Previously, he spent the festival of lights with soldiers at the Indo-Chinese border of Uttarakhand, in the Gurez sector in North Kashmir, at the ITBP post in Himachal Pradesh, at the Indo-Pakistan border in the Punjab and in Siachen in Ladakh.
