On Saturday, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Arunachal Pradesh attended Vijaya Dashami celebrations in Darjeeling, West Bengal, with Army jawans. Singh took part in the traditional Shastra Puja (worshipping of weapons). A ritual among the Gorkha soldiers since decades where they put red ’tilak’ on their weapons and worship them on the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja. The Defence Minister also applied tilak on the forehead of the jawans.
Speaking on the occasion, Singh expressed his gratitude to the soldiers for being able to participate in the ritual. He said, “I wish all of you and your families a very happy Vijaya Dashmi. I am very glad I got to perform the Shastra Puja with you all. India is among the few countries where we pray to the Shastras and are treated with due respect.” “The ritual has great significance, it reflects our high respect and culture where we worship something before using it. You all might have seen that all professionals in the country worship their instruments once throughout the year,” added Rajnath Singh. The Defence Minister said, “Students worship their ink and books on Diwali and Vasant Panchami. Similarly, musicians worship their musical instruments. On average, a large number of families in our country are associated with farming.” The Shastra Puja might look like just worshipping the weapons but actually it shows respect towards our work.”
“You all have been following this ritual for years. The day is the day of victory and also the day when Ram killed Ravan. Every soldier has the quality of lord Rama. I once again extend my wishes to everyone on this occasion. Happy Vijayadashmi,” said Singh who is in the eastern sector, to take stock of the situation across border after several news of China increasing its presence across the region.
Earlier on Friday, Rajnath Singh while addressing the the Army Commanders’ Conference in Gangtok, Singh on the issue of disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh, said the progress of discussions with China is contingent on “actual progress” being made on the ground. “India remains “cautiously optimistic” about the ongoing diplomatic-military talks with China to resolve the troop standoff in eastern Ladakh,” said the Defence Minister who expressed full confidence in the ability of the men in uniform and said Indian Army can handle any situation and would not let tensions escalate along the border.
However, Rajnath Singh raised the concerns about China’s inconsistent actions, as the People’s Liberation Army that made numerous incursions trying to trespass into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020. The Defence Minister made it clear that India would never give upto any such treat by China. Selecting the venue of the conference in Gangtok (near the China border), was extremely significant as India wanted to tell China about its readiness in the area, China has increased its military presence by deploying 90,000 additional troops.
