Dussehra 2022: PM Modi calls for end to casteism, regionalism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for an end to casteism and regionalism, saying Dussehra should also mark the burning of ideologies which are not about India's development but about fulfilling selfish interests.

Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashmi, was celebrated across India on Tuesday with different rituals and activities, marking the triumph of good over evil. Huge effigies of demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad, and brother Kumbhakarna went up in flames at various grounds across the length and breadth of the country in celebrations attended by common people as well as political leaders.

President, PM Modi, Sonia Gandhi Attend Events in Delhi

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and several other leaders attended events across Delhi to mark the festivities. Prime Minister Modi attended an event in Dwarka in the national capital and called upon people to finish off forces trying to divide the country with casteism and regionalism, saying Dussehra should also mark the burning of ideologies that are not about India's development but about fulfilling selfish interests.

Addressing a gathering at the event, he said the festival should not be confined to the burning of Ravana's effigies and Lord Ram's victory over the demon but also mark the triumph of patriotism over every evil in the country. Modi shot an arrow using a ceremonial bow, kick-starting the Lanka Dahan celebrations.

Dussehra Celebrations in Other States

President Murmu attended celebrations hosted by the Shri Dharmik Leela Committee at the ground opposite the Red Fort here. She was later handed a ceremonial bow and arrow to shoot towards the effigies, following which they were set ablaze. Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi attended an event hosted by the Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee. Amid chants of Jai Shri Ram, Gandhi was gifted a copy of the Ramayana at the event.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also attended Dussehra festivities hosted by different Ramlila committees. Kejriwal joined the celebrations at the Red Fort here and said his government is trying to serve the people of the national capital, taking inspiration from the ideals of Lord Ram.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh celebrated Dussehra with Army soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang, a strategically key region close to the frontier with China. Dussehra signifies the victory of good over evil, Singh said after performing 'Shastra Puja' worship of weapons at a military base.

Dussehra also marked the end of the nine-day festivities of Navratra. In West Bengal, goddess Durga idols were immersed on Vijayadashami at various river ghats across the state. The Kolkata police made elaborate security measures at the 34 ghats along the Hooghly river in the city, a senior officer said.

During the day, women participated in the traditional Sindur Khela smearing vermilion on each other's faces and offered sweets and prayers to the goddess before bidding her farewell for the year. In Kolkata, several celebrities, including actor Rituparna Sengupta, took part in the 'Sindur Khela' ritual at various community puja pandals.

Dussehra Celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar

In Jammu and Kashmir, people thronged the Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium in Srinagar to celebrate Dussehra. Giant effigies were set afire at the practice ground of the cricket stadium amidst thunderous cheers from the people, officials said. A large number of Muslims, including PDP leader Iltija Mufti, also came to witness the celebrations, they said, adding the festival was celebrated with great fervor in Jammu as well.

In Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the traditional shobha yatra in the city on Vijayadashmi as the head seer of the Gorakshpeeth, with people lining the streets and standing at vantage points to welcome the colorful procession. Members of Muslim and Sindhi communities were among those who greeted Adityanath at various places along the route as he stood on a decked-up rath chariot.

In Bihar, the government made elaborate security arrangements, including the deployment of drones and the installation of CCTV cameras at sensitive points, to ensure peaceful celebrations of Dussehra in the state. The security was beefed up across the state after a five-year-old boy and two women were killed on Monday in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Gopalganj district.

Tragic Incident in Jharkhand, Celebrations in Punjab and Haryana

The celebrations were, however, blighted in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur where two persons were killed and four others suffered injuries when a truck fell on them who were in a procession for the immersion of the idol of goddess Durga. The incident took place when the truck was negotiating a slope. The condition of two of the injured is stated to be serious, an official statement said.

In Punjab and Haryana, effigies of Ravana, Meghnad, and Kumbhakarana were set on fire at scores of places. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended a Dussehra event at Hoshiarpur. He said it is good to see that a number of children have come to witness the festivities and it will help give them an even better understanding of our rich culture and traditions.

In Mohali, along with effigies of Ravana, Meghnad, and Kumbhakarana, an effigy symbolic of the drug scourge was also burned, while in Haryana's Panchkula, the key attraction was the 177-foot-tall Ravana effigy.

Dussehra Celebrations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh

In Maharashtra, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed the Dussehra rally at Nagpur and said the idol of Lord Ram will be installed at the Ayodhya temple on January 22, and asked people to organize programs at temples across the country to celebrate the occasion.

In Karnataka, curtains came down on the 10-day Dasara festival with the grand finale in the form of Jamboo Savari in the royal city of Mysuru. An impressive procession of caparisoned elephants with the deity of Mysuru city Chamundeshwari enthroned on a 750 kg golden houdah of the pilot jambo Abhimanyu was held from the front of the imposing Mysuru palace.

The procession was led by the cavalry of the Karnataka police. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and the titular king of Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, among others, paid obeisance to Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Meanwhile, as Dussehra festivities came to an end across the country, the historical week-long Kullu Dussehra commenced in Himachal Pradesh. The internationally renowned festival was inaugurated by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla. The festival began with the traditional Rath Yatra of Lord Raghunath and about 300 deities participated in it.

Dussehra was celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor across India, marking the triumph of good over evil. The festival brought people together and reminded them of the importance of unity and the victory of righteousness. The celebrations included the burning of effigies of Ravana, Meghnad, and Kumbhakarna, symbolizing the destruction of evil. The festival also marked the end of the nine-day festivities of Navratra and the immersion of goddess Durga idols in West Bengal.