Ravanas go up in smoke, with clear message to Pakistan

With scores of Ravana effigies going up in flames and smoke on Tuesday evening, the Hindu festival of Dusshera was celebrated across Punjab and Haryana with a loud and clear message of no-tolerance to Pakistan's evil designs on India.

The shadow of the recent surgical strikes by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) was clearly visible in the festivities in frontier state of Punjab, which shares a 553-km long international boundary with Pakistan.

Photographs of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif, terrorist leaders Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar and others were put up on the effigies of the demon-king.

A special effigy, bearing the Pakistani flag and the photographs of the Pakistani leadership and Pakistan-based heads of terror outfits was put up at the main Dusshera celebrations in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, which is just 30 km from the Pakistan border.

Thousands of people were assembled at various locations across Punjab, Haryana and the Chandigarh capital city to see the annual ritual of the effigies of the demon-kings being set on fire.

The festivities were held amid tight security at all places. A festive spirit prevailed throughout the state.

The record-breaking Ravana effigy, the tallest one in the country at 210 feet, went up in smoke at Barara village in Haryana's Ambala district.

In Chandigarh and the adjoining towns of Panchkula and Mohali, the effigies were burnt at a number of locations. The tallest effigy of Ravana in the tri-city, at 85 feet, was set on fire in Sector 46 of Chandigarh.

Religious processions, depicting the victory of good over evil, were taken out at most places.

--IANS

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