Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen singing a patriotic song, Vande Mataram (Hail the Motherland), with troops during his visit to Kargil on Monday.
Modi joined soldiers in the border town in Kashmir on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of light, which is being celebrated across the country today.
In the video being widely shared on various social media platforms, the Indian PM, who is wearing an army uniform, is seen joining a group of soldiers in their rendition of the Vande Mataram.
Later, in his address to the soldiers in Kargil, Modi stated that it was an honor for him to spend the festival of Diwali with troops as each one of them was like a family member to him.
"All of you have been my family for years now. It is a privilege to spend Diwali with our brave jawans (soldiers) in Kargil," he said, lauding the Indian armed forces for securing the country's borders.
It was the ninth occasion that Modi has paid a visit to soldiers on Diwali.While last year, he visited troops in Nowshera town in Jammu and Kashmir, in 2020, the Prime Minister was with soldiers in Longewala in Rajasthan.
Before that, Modi met soldiers in Harsil in Uttarakhand, at Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and in Amritsar in Punjab.