Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kargil on Monday to celebrate Diwali with the soldiers guarding the borders of the country.
Keeping his Diwali tryst with the soldiers alive, Modi landed in Kargil amid chilling cold to celebrate the festival of lights with the soldiers. The morning temperature was near the freezing point in Kargil.
This year's visit to Kargil on the occasion of Diwali turned out to be a special one for Kargil Major Amit. What made this meeting special was that the soldier had met PM Modi in November 2001 at a Sainik School in Balachadi as a young student.
It was an emotional meeting as they two met once again in Kargil 22 years later. Major Amit had framed a picture of him receiving an award in 2001 from the then Gujarat CM. They once again posed for the picture following their emotional meeting in Kargil.
A long-kept tradition
Since his days as the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi has been visiting the soldiers on national festival Diwali to identify with them and share their joy.
Last year he celebrated Diwali in Nowshera border town of J&K's Jammu division.
In 2020, he shared the joys of the Diwali festival with soldiers in Jisalmer, Rajasthan.
In 2019, Modi went to Rajouri district in J&K on Diwali while in 2018 he was in Uttarakhand to celebrate Diwali with the Army and ITBP soldiers.
In 2017, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with the BSF soldiers in Gurez border town of J&K. Similarly in 2016 he went to Himachal Pradesh.
Modi celebrated Diwali in Punjab with soldiers in 2015, and in 2014 he went to the World's highest battlefield, Siachen glacier to be with the soldiers on Diwali.
(With inputs from IANS)
