On the auspicious evening of Vijayadashami 2026, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini joined thousands of devotees in Ladwa, Kurukshetra district, to witness a Ramleela performance staged by the local cultural group Jay Bharat Kala Manch — and came away visibly moved.

Posting on X with the opening lines 'Shri Ram ji ki nikli savari... Shri Ram ji ki leela hai nyari...' ('The procession of Lord Ram has set forth... the divine play of Lord Ram is wondrous'), the Chief Minister described the experience of witnessing the performance and taking the blessings at the feet of the deity as one that filled his heart with joy. He extended hardik shubhkamnayein — heartfelt good wishes — to all residents of Haryana on the occasion of what he called the 'Vijayadashami Mahapurv', the great festival of Vijayadashami.

Ram's teachings as a call to conscience

Beyond the festive greeting, Saini framed Dussehra as a moment for moral reckoning. The festival, he wrote, teaches us to draw inspiration from the ideals of Lord Shri Ram and resolve to walk the path he showed — a line that carries particular resonance when spoken by a sitting head of government on a day that symbolises the triumph of righteousness over evil.

Vijayadashami, celebrated across India on the tenth day of Navratri, marks the slaying of the demon king Ravana by Ram, and is observed each year with Ramleela performances, effigy burnings, and community gatherings. In Haryana, the festival is widely observed at the district and town level, with local cultural organisations like Jay Bharat Kala Manch in Ladwa playing a central role in keeping the theatrical tradition alive.

Ladwa's cultural moment on the state stage

Ladwa is a town in Kurukshetra district — land already steeped in mythological and historical significance as the battlefield of the Mahabharata. A Chief Minister's public attendance at its Ramleela places the local event squarely in the state's cultural spotlight, a gesture that both honours grassroots cultural organisations and reinforces the BJP-led government's alignment with Hindu festival traditions.

Indian state leaders routinely attend such performances during the Dussehra season, and Saini's post — accompanied by four images — follows that well-established pattern. The message is warm, devotional in register, and entirely in keeping with the solemn-celebratory mood of the day.

For a state that takes its Kurukshetra heritage seriously, a Chief Minister pausing at a local Ramleela to seek blessings is more than ceremonial — it is a reminder that India's oldest stories still do their deepest work at the neighbourhood stage, one town at a time.