United News of India
New Delhi, Apr 5: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in demonstrating collective solidarity and positivity by lighting candles at 2100 hrs on Sunday.
Modi had appealed to the nation to switch off all lights of houses at 9 PM for 9 minutes and light a candle, ‘diya’, or flashlight, to mark India’s fight against Coronavirus.
Prime Minister Modi also lit a lamp and saluted the light of the lamp which brings auspiciousness, health and prosperity.
‘Shubham Karoti Kalyaannam-Aarogyam Dhana-Sampadaa ,
Shatru-Buddhi-Vinaashaaya Diipa-Jyotir-Namostute (Salutations to the light of the lamp which brings auspiciousness, health and prosperity, which destroys inimical feelings; Salutations to the light of the lamp),’ he tweeted in Hindi.
President Kovind with the First Lady Savita Kovind and members of the family lit the candles. He expressed his gratitude towards every Indian for showing resolve and resilience in the fight against COVID-19.
Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla turned off all the lights of their residences and lit earthen lamps.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Prakash Javadekar, Rajnath Singh and Dr S Jaishankar joined the nation in lighting lamps and diyas after turning off all lights at their residences.
Dr Shankar lit Two diyas. ‘Two diyas – one for me and the other for my 88 year old mother who could not be at the door. Joining an expression of mass solidarity. India stands united as never before. Jai Hind,’ he said in his tweet.
BJP President JP Nadda also turned off all the lights of his residence and lit earthen lamps.
In Gujarat, Mother of PM Modi, Heeraben, lit an earthen lamp after turning off all lights at her residence.
