Following Prime Minister's call to "challenge the darkness spread by the coronavirus crisis", Bollywood celebrities in Mumbai switched off non-essential lights and lit up candles, diyas and even switched on mobile flashlights from their balconies and verandas as a nationwide show of solidarity. PM Modi had requested that at 9 pm on Sunday, diyas and candles be lit for nine minutes. Stars such as the Bachchans, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Kapoor and others flooded Instagram with photos of their participating in the initiative along with the rest of the nation. Mr Bachchan switched on his mobile flashlight and admired the moon in the clear Mumbai sky as he posted an excerpt of a poem by his father on Instagram: "Yes the night is dark, but who did stop you from lighting a lamp."
Shweta Bachchan added this photo of Amitabh Bachchan to her feed.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aaradhya lit diyas in the mandir inside their house.
Akshay Kumar, who donated Rs 25 crore in PM Modi's coronavirus relief fund, shared a photo of him holding a candle. "Together we stand and together we will come out of this dark phase," he wrote.
Ranveer was one of the first celebs to share from his "9 pm-9 minutes" diary. Deepika shared a photo much later into the night. "To good health, peace of mind and the undying human spirit," she wrote.
Gauri Khan shared an adorable video of AbRam stepping out in the balcony with a diya made of Lego pieces.
Anushka Sharma, who lit diyas with Virat Kohli, said she lights a diya everyday in the house but Sunday night was special: "So tonight, I prayed extra for everyone and I lit diyas with the whole of India and we all prayed for each other. Prayers never go in vain."
Katrina Kaif, whose lockdown partner is her sister Isabelle, shared a "together we are stronger" post from her balcony.
The darkest nights produce the brightest stars. Together, we shall overcome," wrote Arjun Kapoor for a photo of him holding a candle.
Other stars who participated in the nationwide show of solidarity included the likes of Karisma Kapoor, Karan Johar, Janhvi Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Esha Deol and others. Preity Zinta, who is currently in Los Angeles with her family, also did her bit from abroad.
This was the second "collective display" to show unity in the fight against the virus requested by the Prime Minister since the lockdown started. He had earlier asked people to stand in balconies and clap, or bang utensils, for five minutes at 5 pm to celebrate medical staff in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
India is currently in the second week of a 21-day lockdown. Over 3,570 positive cases of coronavirus have been detected in India.
