By News18,Oliver Fredrick,Pragati Ratti

Copyright news18

If there is any city in India where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday could be called a festival, it is Kashi — the city that he calls his own. On PM Modi’s 75th birthday, Varanasi erupted in devotion, music, rituals, and community service — in short, in a way only Banaras could.
At dawn, the ghats came alive with the sound of conch shells and Vedic mantras. At the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat, city south MLA Dr Neelkanth Tiwari led a grand Ganga Poojan with priests and locals, offering prayers for the PM’s long life. “He is not just a leader, he is Kashi’s adopted son. Today, the city prays for him like a family prays for its elder,” said Pandit Kishori Raman Dubey ‘Babu Maharaj’, who led the rituals.

Ordinary residents joined BJP cadres and municipal workers in cleaning streets, sprucing up public spaces, and paying floral tributes at statues across the city. “We cleaned our mohalla as a gift to Modi ji,” said Kamal Gupta, a shopkeeper from Godowlia. The effort was part of the “Sewa Pakhwada” service campaign launched across 100 wards — a citizen-driven gesture that turned the day into a giant cleanliness festival.

Children, too, played their part. At Lohta’s Sheetla Children’s School, nearly 500 students linked hands to form a human chain spelling out birthday greetings. “Modi ji gives us free books and scholarships. Today we gave him our wishes,” said Priya, a Class 6 student, her face painted in tricolour.

Women beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana brought sweets and chhappan bhog to the 51-ft Hanuman statue and prayed for Modi’s good health. “He gave us homes; we give him our blessings,” said Sangeeta Devi, smiling as she fed a piece of laddu to a photograph of the PM.
Artists and cultural groups added their own flair. Rupesh, a sand artist from Mirzapur, crafted a detailed sand portrait of Modi that drew crowds throughout the day. The Rudraksh Convention Centre hosted the ‘Kajari Mahotsava’ classical music festival, where attendees said the mood was more festive than political. “It felt like celebrating a family elder’s shatabdi (centenary) — with song, devotion, and laughter,” said attendee Rameshwar Yadav.

Municipal officials made the day about development as well as devotion. Mayor Ashok Tiwari announced the launch of Rs 111 crore worth of civic works, including repairs of 383 roads, revival of 75 dried-up wells, and upgrades to drainage and transformers — symbolic gifts for the city on its MP’s milestone birthday. A 75-kg laddu was prepared and shared among residents as prasad.
Adding to the cultural flavour was the opening of the classical music fest ‘Kajari Mahotsava’ at the Rudraksh Convention Centre. Varanasi mayor Ashok Tiwari, who inaugurated the event, said, “This is a city where music, culture, and politics blend into a unique spiritual-political rhythm. It is only fitting that Modi ji’s birthday is celebrated with classical music and dance.”
The celebrations also served as a reminder of Modi’s special bond with Varanasi — a relationship that has transformed both the city and its politics.
It was on March 14, 2014, when the BJP first announced Modi’s candidature from Varanasi. His first words after filing nomination, “Maa Ganga ne mujhe bulaya hai (Maa Ganga has called me),” have since become iconic. Choosing Varanasi alongside Vadodara was more than a political decision — it was a cultural and spiritual statement.
Since then, Modi has won the seat thrice, retained it over Vadodara despite a bigger margin there, and turned Varanasi into the showcase of his development model.
Projects worth over Rs 52,000 crore have been inaugurated here in the past 11 years, including the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, new roads, a trade facilitation centre, underground cabling to declutter the skyline, and two cancer hospitals.
The PM has visited Varanasi 52 times — a record for any sitting MP. These visits have brought not just development announcements but also global attention. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Mauritius PMs Anerood Jugnauth and Navin Ramgoolam have all visited the city with Modi, witnessing its transformation first-hand.
Locals say this connection has made Modi more than just their MP. “He is like a custodian of Kashi’s spirit. He brought the city back into the national consciousness,” said Shashi Mishra, a resident.
Whether it was the priests performing elaborate rituals on the ghats, schoolchildren lining up in human chains, municipal workers dedicating new roads and wells, or BJP leaders distributing prasad and sweets, the day carried the feel of a festival.
“Banaras does not just celebrate; it sanctifies,” said Rajendra Kumar Gupta, a local businessman. “Today was not just Modi ji’s birthday, it was like the city was celebrating its own rise, its own journey of the past decade.”
As evening fell and the famed Ganga Aarti bathed the ghats in golden light, chants of “Har Har Mahadev” mingled with slogans of “Modi ji ko janmadin ki shubhkamnayein.” The river that Modi once said had called him to Varanasi seemed to flow with a special radiance.