Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is slated to visit Sikkim on October 23-24 on the occasion of Dussehra. He is said to be undertaking the visit in order to boost the morale of India’s frontline troops who are facing an expansionist China and foiling all of the middle kingdom’s devious plans with their mere presence on the Indo-Tibet border. During his stay there, the Defence Minister would be launching a number of strategic bridges which have been built in the region. Further, in a stern message to China, he would also be performing ‘Shastra Puja’ or the worship of weapons.
The Defence Minister will only come back after having performed the ceremony of ‘Shastra Puja’, which is observed by the Indian Armed Forces every year on Dussehra. This time around, however, the same Hindu ritual will take place right under the nose of the Chinese, by India’s Defence Minister no less. Last year, the same ritual was performed by Singh in France, while receiving India’s first Rafale fighter aircraft. According to TOI, Rajnath Singh will also visit frontline areas where India has deployed a large quantum of forces and tanks to foil China’s nefarious designs of grabbing land.
Essentially, the Defence Minister would be doing all that China hates, that is, inaugurating improved infrastructure and also worshipping the weapons of the Indian Army, in a sign that India’s weapons are ready to take down the paper dragon. On Dussehra, weapons and other instruments of the goddess are worshipped. The ritual is called Shastra Puja or Ayudha Puja. During Shastra Puja, weapons are kept on a high pedestal. Water from the holy Ganga river is sprinkled on them, and the weapons are then adorned with fresh flowers. Turmeric and Vermillion are applied to the weapons as a mark of completion of the ceremony.
It is said that Shri Ram too undertook Shashtra Puja prior to his battle with Ravan, which is why the ceremony is observed on Dussehra, the day Ravan was defeated. The ritual is also observed as a mark of respect towards Maa Durga, who slayed the demon Mahishasura on Dussehra. It is said that the Gods had worshipped Devi’s weapons, from where the ritual began and is followed till date.
It must be remembered that with India signalling its intent to dump the much-touted ‘One-China policy’ for good by beginning formal trade talks with Taiwan soon, the paper dragon had gone on to threaten New Delhi in no uncertain terms that Beijing would help and sponsor insurgency in India’s Northeast. In an article published in Global Times, a CCP stooge named all the states and said, “If India takes the move to support “Taiwan independence,” China has every reason to support separatist forces in Northeast Indian states such as Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland. China could even support the resurrection of Sikkim.”
Such threats haven’t gone down well with New Delhi, which is perhaps the reason why India’s Defence Minister will now go ahead and poke China right in its face by performing Shastra Puja along the Indo-Tibet border.