Rajnath Singh Celebrates Deepawali With Troops in Sikkim

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh celebrated Deepawali with soldiers of the Trishakti Corps, the Indian Army's 33 Corps, deployed in the forward areas of Sikkim on 8 November 2026. He was accompanied by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Dhiraj Seth, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, Lieutenant General V M B Krishnan, the General Officer Commanding of 33 Corps, Lieutenant General Man Raj Singh Mann, and other senior officers.

What he told the soldiers

Meeting the troops at Sherathang, the Raksha Mantri called them the brightest lights of the festival and said their watchfulness on the borders gives the whole country its sense of safety. A lamp, he said, drives away darkness without asking for attention, and soldiers do their duty in the same quiet way so that citizens may celebrate in peace. He praised their professionalism, high morale and steady commitment in difficult high-altitude conditions, and acknowledged the sacrifice of men who serve far from their families and place the country above their own celebrations. Discipline and courage matter more than equipment, he added, because however advanced technology becomes it is of little use to a soldier who lacks these qualities. The conduct, uniform, language and restraint of personnel shape how local communities see the military, and he urged the troops to keep strengthening the bond of trust the Army shares with the people of Sherathang and the surrounding areas.

Homage at the memorials

The Raksha Mantri paid homage at the Sherathang War Memorial to soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice, and also visited the Baba Harbhajan Singh Memorial to pay his respects to the revered soldier whose legacy holds a special place in the military and civil traditions of the region. Memorials, he said, do more than mark past events: they shape collective memory and awaken national pride. The soldiers honoured at Sherathang came from different parts of the country, among them Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Assam, and they laid down their lives for people regardless of region, language or community.

National War Memorial

He recalled that the National War Memorial was built in New Delhi to honour the gallant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. Approximately 26,000 names of the fallen are inscribed there in golden letters. Seeing a name at the memorial, he said, brings a deep sense of pride to the soldier's family, relatives and the people of their village and region, and such memorials serve as a source of inspiration for present and future generations.