Milk offering to Ganga, special prayers at Shiva temple mark PM Modi's 75th birthday in Varanasi

Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 75th birthday on Wednesday was marked in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi with Vedic rituals, a special 'dugdhabhishek' (milk offering) to the Ganga, prayers at the Kashi Vishvanath temple, inauguration of a cleanliness drive and celebrations in his adopted village of Jayapur.

At the historic Dashashwamedh Ghat, City South MLA Dr Neelkanth Tiwari, along with 108 Vedic scholars from Annapurna Rishikul Brahmacharya Ashram and Shastrarth Mahavidyalaya, performed the milk offering, chanting mantras to pray for PM Modi's long life and the nation's prosperity.

A special Ganga aarti is scheduled for the evening at Namo Ghat, while fruits were distributed in hospitals, orphanages and old-age homes earlier in the day.

District officials said the state-wide 'swachhta pakhwada' (cleanliness fortnight), beginning Wednesday and running till Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, was launched with Commissioner S Rajalingam sweeping Vindhyavasini Nagar Colony and District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar leading a cleanliness drive in the DIG Colony.

Municipal Commissioner Akshat Verma also participated in the drive. Officials interacted with residents to review garbage collection and sanitation, with Rajalingam urging citizens to make cleanliness a part of daily life.

Special ward-level cleanliness campaigns will be held at bus stands, railway stations, schools, Ramleela grounds and public places, they said.

Meanwhile, in the Jayapur village -- the first village adopted by PM Modi under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana in 2014 -- residents celebrated by garlanding his portrait and cutting a cake at the panchayat bhawan.

"Since the prime minister adopted Jayapur, the village has transformed with roads, drainage, electricity, and toilets. Nearly 300 toilets have been built and two government banks opened here," said Sajan Yadav, representative of village pradhan Rajkumar Yadav.

He said around 200 women had been employed under the Khadi Gramodyog scheme, though some villagers still expressed concern over the lack of local jobs for the youth and the absence of a playground for children.

Varanasi Mayor Ashok Tiwari said the municipal corporation marked the occasion by launching and inaugurating projects worth Rs 111 crore, including 65.68 km of road construction, repair and drainage work across all eight zones and five Assembly segments. Renovation of 75 wells, construction of a 30-bed shelter home under Pandeypur flyover, registration of pet dogs and the launch of mobile animal capture vehicles were also announced.

Religious ceremonies, including 'sahastraarchan' of Baba Kashi Vishwanath with 1,100 lotus flowers and a 'maharudrabhishek', were organised by seers to pray for PM Modi's health and national unity.

Blood donation camps were held at the IMA Blood Bank, divisional hospital and ESIC Hospital as part of the celebrations.

Born on September 17, 1950, in Gujarat's Vadnagar, PM Modi created history on June 9, 2024, by taking oath as prime minister for a third consecutive term, becoming the first non-Congress leader -- and only the second after Jawaharlal Nehru -- to do so.