On 17 September 2026, the 14th Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi completed 76 years of his life, becoming a historic milestone in the history of Indian politics and global diplomacy. This occasion not only marked his 76th birthday, but also proved to be a double golden festival of completion of 25 glorious years of continuous public service in power at the Center since assuming the constitutional responsibility as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in the year 2001. On this double celebration of the country's first Prime Minister born in independent India, there was a flood of good wishes from New Delhi to Washington, Moscow, Rome and Tokyo. Heads of government of global superpowers, top international diplomats, top leaders of the ruling and opposition parties of the Indian Parliament and stalwarts of cinema and sports sent their best wishes to the Prime Minister for a healthy, active and long life. Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Georgia Meloni: Respect for Indian diplomacy echoed on the global stage. The whole world saw a clear glimpse of India's growing dominance on the global geopolitical stage on the 76th birthday of Prime Minister Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin, sending a very cordial and diplomatic message, said that Prime Minister Modi is a highly respected politician among his countrymen as well as the entire global community. Putin openly praised Modi's personal contribution in taking the 'special and privileged strategic partnership' between India and Russia to new heights and reiterated his resolve to further strengthen relations, recalling the bilateral talks held on the sidelines of the BRICS summit held in New Delhi. The Russian Embassy released this message on social media with the hashtag '#DruzhbaDosti'. US President Donald Trump had a detailed phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi and prayed for his good health and long life while discussing bilateral relations, Indo-Pacific security and trade priorities through official channels of the US Embassy. On the other hand, Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, while congratulating in her special style on Instagram, wrote, Happy Birthday to my friend Narendra Modi, I wish you good health, boundless energy and continued successes, the unbreakable friendship between Italy and India is now becoming stronger. Japanese Ambassador Ono Keiichi said that Modi's visionary leadership continues to inspire India on the path of becoming a developed nation and the upcoming 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries will give an unprecedented dimension to bilateral cooperation. Along with this, the Embassy of the Netherlands recalled the historic strategic visit of May 2026, while Australia's High Commissioner Philip Green, the embassies of Belgium and Vietnam also issued formal diplomatic messages. Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Akhilesh Yadav: Irrespective of political differences, opposition stalwarts wished for long life. The beauty of Indian democratic values was highlighted when the top leaders of major opposition parties of the country, completely ignoring the grave political differences, sent best wishes to Prime Minister Modi on his birthday. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi shared a quick post on social media platform X wishing Prime Minister Modi on his birthday and wishing him good health. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also prayed to God and wished for the long life and healthy life of the Prime Minister. National President of Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav wrote in his message on Instagram that happy birthday to the Prime Minister and eternal wishes for a healthy, active and purposeful life. Bahujan Samaj Party national president Mayawati, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and prominent Tamil Nadu leader C. Joseph Vijay also sent warm congratulatory messages. Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh and senior actor-MP Shatrughan Sinha from the world of sports and cinema paid tribute to the leadership of the Prime Minister by sharing old photographs and memories. Seva Sankalp Abhiyan and lamp of blessings: The state illuminated with 25 social projects of the country. To commemorate the 76th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and completion of 25 years of public service, the Bharatiya Janata Party formally launched the nationwide 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' which will run from 17 September to 17 October 2026. Under this nationwide campaign, 25 specific social, environment and health initiatives are being implemented on the ground, which include massive blood donation camps, free health check-up fairs, massive tree plantation and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. On this occasion, under the 'Aashirwad Ka Diya' campaign, crores of citizens of the country lit lamps at their homes and religious places. About 58 lakh lamps were lit in Madhya Pradesh, in which a supernatural chain of 25 lakh lamps was made on the holy banks of Mokshadayini Shipra river in Ujjain alone. In Gujarat, more than 88 lakh lamps were lit across the state, where a new record was set with 10 lakh lamps in Surat city. Around 80 lakh lamps were lit by Antyodaya families and common citizens in Haryana. After the grand Maha Aarti in the dignified presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel at Vishwa Umiadham in Ahmedabad, 76 thousand lamps were lit simultaneously as a symbol of the Prime Minister's 76 years of age and Vande Mataram was sung collectively. Additionally, 'Seva Sankalp Bike Rallies' were flagged off simultaneously from Modi's birthplace Vadnagar (Mehsana, Gujarat) and Karmabhoomi Kashi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh), while a special passenger service campaign was launched from September 17 to October 10 to assist passengers in the aviation sector. Launch of PM Vishwakarma Yojana in Bengal and global launch of SEMICON India 2026. September 17 also witnessed historic achievements on the political and administrative front. 'PM Vishwakarma Yojana' was formally implemented on the ground in the presence of Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari at Dhandhanya Auditorium in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the scheme has been given impetus after the formation of the BJP government in Bengal and the number of beneficiaries is targeted to cross 5 lakh in the coming one year, where out of 7.70 lakh nominations, more than 2 lakh artisans have applied and more than 3,000 have been approved. Even on his birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, giving priority to his familiar working style, inaugurated the 'Semicon India 2026' in New Delhi. This is being considered a historic leap towards making India the world's leading semiconductor and chip manufacturing hub. This 76th birthday of Narendra Modi, who was born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, Gujarat and assumed the country's top post on 26 May 2014, will be remembered as a confluence of service, determination, diplomacy and technical self-reliance.
