Hindu India: Modi doing aarti of Luv and Kush with President Kovind looking on. Vijaya Dashmi, or Dussehra, marking the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana and symbolising the triumph of good over evil, was celebrated with fervour across the country on Saturday. In New Delhi, before burning the effigy of Ravana at the Subhash Maidan opposite Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted the citizens to see festivals as source of inspiration to do something positive for society as he underlined their social relevance.
In Punjab and Haryana, a festive spirit prevailed at all places including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur (all in Punjab); Ambala, Hisar, Rohtak and Karnal (all in Haryana) and in Chandigarh where the burning of Ravana effigies was organised.
Interestingly, effigies of babas or self-styled godmen were included among the effigies of Ravana and others at some places this time to highlight the wrong-doings of these babas who take people for a ride in the name of religion.
On some of the effigies of godmen, the photograph of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the disgraced chief of Dera Sacha Sauda sect who was recently convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for rape of two female disciples, was put up.
In Haryana, the tallest Ravana at 210 feet was put up at Barala near Ambala, about 65 km from Chandigarh.
In West Bengal, devotees thronged marquees and community pujas to bid farewell to Goddess Durga on Vijaya Dashami, the last day of the Durga Puja festival.
With anticipation of the homecoming of the deity next year, married women decked in the ritualistic red-and-white saris marked the event with the customary “Sindoor Khela” or smearing each other and the idols with red vermillion to prepare Goddess Durga and her four children — Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik — for their return to their heavenly abode on Mount Kailash.
As part of the observances, enthusiasts cutting across religious and age barriers indulged in “dhunuchi naach” — dancing to the beat of the ‘dhaak’ (drums) holding aloft earthen bowls laden with incense and camphor.
In Assam, lakhs of people thronged different Durga Puja pandals since morning, braving rains and inclement weather, to bid adieu to the Mother Goddess and celebrate ‘Vijoya Dashami’ — the last day of the four-day Durga Puja festival.
Men, women and children gathered in puja pandals and took part in the rituals performed by the priests and took blessings.
In Karnataka’s cultural capital Mysuru, about one million people from across the country gathered for the victory parade to mark the culmination of the Dasara festival, as it is called locally.
With the Karnataka government hosting the fest as the state festival, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flagged off the 407th procession, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, from the gates of the royal Amba Vilas Palace.
Fifteen caparisoned elephants, horse-drawn carriages, around 2,000 artists, cultural troupes and 40 tableaux marched five km to the Bannimantap Grounds through the city.
The highlight of the procession is the “Jumbo savari” (elephant parade), a sight popular with tourists and locals alike, in which Hindu deity Chamundeshwari led the procession on a 750 kg golden throne astride the decorated elephants.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar, the head of the titular Mysuru royal family, also took part in the festivities.
In Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu, a grand congregation of over 210 gods and goddesses was assembled on the first day of the festival that begins on Vijaya Dashmi.
Kullu Dussehra is a centuries-old unique festival and celebrations begin on Vijaya Dashami, the day when the festivities end in the rest of the country.
It concludes with the Lankadahan ceremony on the banks of the mighty Beas river. All the assembled deities will participate in the ceremony before being carried back to their own temples.
Here, the responsibility of policing is left to a local deity.
Lord Raghunath, the chief deity of the Kullu Valley, in fact, leaves the task of managing the crowd of over 30,000 devotees during his rath (chariot) processions to his second-in-command ‘devta’ the deity Nag Dhumbal.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi both urged the people to adopt values reflected by Lord Rama’s life in their lives to create a better society.
Speaking at the ground adjacent to Delhi’s Red Fort, President Kovind said the ideals of Lord Rama’s life remain relevant to the humanity at large.
“We all know Dussehra is the celebration of victory of good over evil… the ideals of Lord Ram’s life are relevant for the whole humanity today. We all know about the values, but it would be of use only when we adopt these in our lives,” the President said.
Prime Minister Modi said the festival is not merely a source of entertainment, but should also inspire people and give them the resolve to do something for society and the nation.
Modi urged the citizens to resolve on this day of Vijaydashmi or Dussehra to contribute in some constructive way towards nation-building by 2022, when India would celebrate 75 years of its independence.
“Festivals like Dussehra should not be seen as mere source of entertainment but should also become an ambition and resolve to do something,” Modi said while addressing a gathering at Shri Dharmik Ram Leela at the Red Fort here before the effigies of demon king Ravana, and his brother Meghnad and son Kumbhakaran were set afire to symolise the victory of good over evil.
“Our festivals are associated with farming, rivers, mountains, history, and of course with our cultural traditions. They are a means of societal training as they enhance social bonding and sensitivity, keep the societal values alive and teach to continuously strive to do away with evils,” Modi said.
Modi said that thousands of years have passed but the lore of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna keeps inspiring humankind even today.
He said that in his conquest of Lanka — whose kind Ravana had abducted Lord Rama’s wife Sita, according to Ramayana — Lord Rama mobilised every section of society, from human beings to animals.
“Burning of Ravana is a part of tradition, but as citizens, we will also have to strive to end the streak of evil (Ravana pravratti) in society,” he said.
“After defeating Ravana, Lord Rama continued to serve society with humility. Today, let us resolve as citizens of India to make positive contributions towards the nation by 2022, to make India of the dreams of our great freedom fighters. Let us make a resolve like Lord Rama,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister then symbolically shot an arrow from a bow gifted to him at the venue, following which the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran, and Meghnad were set on fire. (IANS)