Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate Diwali today with personnel of the Indian Navy off the Goa coast, sources said. This year’s Diwali with the Navy continues his decade-long tradition of celebrating the festival with India’s uniformed services.
His message to the “men in white,” which will be broadcast shortly, is likely to highlight Operation Sindoor — India’s counterstrike to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Since taking office in 2014, Modi has made it a tradition to spend Diwali with members of the armed forces. Over the years, he has travelled across some of India’s most difficult terrains and border outposts to mark the festival with soldiers, airmen, and sailors.
In his first year as Prime Minister, he spent Diwali at the Siachen glacier in Ladakh with troops posted there. The following year, he visited the Dograi War Memorial in Amritsar to pay tribute to the heroes of the 1965 war.
In subsequent years, he celebrated the festival with personnel in Sumdo near the India-China border, the Gurez sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand’s Harsil, and Rajouri. In 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he marked Diwali at Longewala in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, the site of a historic 1971 war battle.
2024 – Sir Creek (Gujarat)
The Prime Minister spent Diwali with troops stationed at Sir Creek, continuing his tradition of celebrating the festival with personnel guarding India’s frontiers.
2023 – Lepcha (Himachal Pradesh)
Modi marked the festival with troops in Lepcha, Himachal Pradesh, reaffirming his message of solidarity with soldiers deployed in remote regions.
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2022 – Lepcha (Himachal Pradesh)
Modi marked the festival with troops in Lepcha, Himachal Pradesh, reaffirming his message of solidarity with soldiers deployed in remote regions.
2021 – Nowshera (Jammu & Kashmir)
“I feel privileged that I got to spend Diwali with our brave soldiers in Nowshera, not as Prime Minister but as a member of their family,” he said while meeting troops along the LoC.
2020 – Longewala (Rajasthan)
At the site of the 1971 war battle, the PM saluted soldiers’ bravery, saying India’s Diwali “shines bright because of its soldiers.”
2019 – Rajouri (Jammu & Kashmir)
Visited troops along the LoC as Infantry Day was observed, his first Diwali in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370.
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2018 – Harsil (Uttarakhand)
Celebrated with Army and ITBP personnel near the India-China border; later offered prayers at Kedarnath temple.
2017 – Gurez Valley (Jammu & Kashmir)
Exchanged sweets and greetings with troops, saying he wished to spend Diwali “with his family — the jawans.”
2016 – Sumdo (Himachal Pradesh)
Visited troops near the India-China border amid heightened border tensions; spent over three hours interacting with personnel.
2015 – Khasa (Punjab)
Visited the Dograi War Memorial in Amritsar to mark 50 years of the 1965 war, calling the troops “the reason India is respected worldwide.”
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2014 – Siachen (Ladakh)
Spent his first Diwali as Prime Minister with soldiers at the Siachen Glacier, saying, “The nation sleeps in peace because you are awake.”
