Millions light candles, diyas on Modi’s appeal

New Delhi:

Millions of Indians across the country switched off lights at their homes and lit candles, diyas (earthen lamps) or turned on mobile phone torches at 9 p.m. on Sunday, responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to show nation’s “collective resolve and solidarity” in its fight against coronavirus.

This is the second time Modi has sought to rally people amid the ongoing lockdown to combat the pandemic, which has claimed more than 65,600 lives globally and inflicted over one million people.

LIGHTS OUT

As the clock struck 9 p.m., lights went out in most houses and people gathered on balconies, flashing mobile lights while a few of them lit candles and diyas. Modi had on Friday urged people to turn off lights at their homes for nine minutes at 9 p.m. to display the country’s collective resolve and solidarity to defeat the virus.

You may be alone at home but 1300 million people are with you, he had said while making the appeal to fuse a sense of unity and purpose among people during the ongoing lockdown.

The Prime Minister had earlier asked them to clap or beat utensils on March 22 for five minutes at 5 p.m. while observing ‘Peoples’ Curfew’ from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to thank those working in essentials services. On March 24, Modi announced a 21-day lockdown across the country from March 25 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, asserting that social distancing was the only way to deal with the deadly virus.