Surat, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday celebrations in the city saw a giant poster and huge Tricolour being displayed at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium. The vibrant tribute was accompanied with ceremonial cutting of 75-inch cake, drawing hundreds of well-wishers and spectators.
The massive poster, crafted on fabric by a local artist Praveen Gupta, took over 10 days to complete. It required 54 people to unfold the 250 kg fabric creation. Alongside it, a 30×20 ft tricolor flag was also hoisted and will be displayed during the upcoming India-Sri Lanka women’s cricket tournament hosted at the stadium.
Speaking to IANS, Praveen Gupta said, “We wanted to make this birthday memorable for our beloved Prime Minister. This poster is the result of more than 15 days of effort. I want to wish PM Modi a very happy birthday.”
Manasi Ghosh, a spectator at the event, expressed her excitement: “It’s amazing to see such a huge flag on PM Modi’s 75th birthday. Wishing him a long and healthy life.”
DSK Rathi, General Secretary of the Surat District Cricket Association, added, “We’ve created this grand celebration with full enthusiasm. I hope to see PM Modi continue his dynamic leadership in the years to come.”
As part of the celebrations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched “Sewa Pakhwada”, a two-week nationwide campaign (Sept 17–Oct 2) focused on public welfare. Activities include blood donation camps, cleanliness drives, the ‘NaMo Yuva Run’, and the launch of initiatives like the ‘Suman Sakhi’ chatbot and ‘Ek Bagicha Maa Ke Naam’ plantation drive.
Born on September 17, 1950, in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, Narendra Modi rose from humble beginnings to serve as Gujarat’s Chief Minister from 2001 to 2014 and has been India’s Prime Minister since 2014 — now in his third consecutive term.
He left home to travel across the country at the age of 17. He later joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a socio-cultural organisation. At RSS, his day used to begin at 5:00 am and go on till late at night. At a young age, he joined the movement against the Emergency. PM Modi’s thoughts were influenced by Swami Vivekananda, shaping his spiritual and service-oriented outlook.
–IANS
jk/mr