568 kg ladoo, gold ring: How India celebrated PM Modi's b'day

Varanasi/Chennai/Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an interaction with school students in Varanasi on Monday, during which he told them never to feel afraid to ask questions, saying it is a key aspect of learning.

Modi said students must give importance to sports, asking them to go out and play since it is essential.

"I came to your school on the special day of Vishwakarma jayanti. My greetings to everyone on this special day," he told the students of a school at Narur.

TN BJP gifts gold ring to a baby

A baby born at a primary health centre in Chennai on Monday coinciding with PM Narendra Modi's birthday was gifted a gold ring by the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP as part of its celebrations of the day.

Party's state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan presented the gold ring to the newborn at the government-run PHC at Purasawalkam in Central Chennai.

She also gave away gift packs to some other babies born at the facility in the past few days.

As part of the celebrations, the state unit organised an event at suburban Tambaram where the prime minister's younger brother Prahlad Modi distributed welfare assistance to several people.

He was here after a visit to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala and Lord Murugan temple at Tiruttani Sunday.

"I prayed at the Balaji temple for long life and good health (of Narendra Modi) and to give him strength to work for India's development," Prahlad Modi told reporters.

Soundararajan told PTI that the party had announced it would present gold rings to all babies born at the PHC on Monday. However, only one baby was born at the facility.

568 kilo ladoo

Union minister Prakash Javadekar and his cabinet colleague Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unveiled a 568-kg ladoo on the occasion of Modi's 68th birthday on Monday.

Participating at a function organised by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, which is celebrating the PM's birthday as 'Swachhta Diwas,' Javadekar said, "Sanitation coverage has significantly increased in the country in last four years."

Under the 'Swachhta Campaign' more than nine crore toilets have been constructed and 450 lakh villages have been declared open defecation free (ODF), Javadekar said.

Stating that sanitation coverage was only 30 per cent in the country in the first 60 to 62 years, the HRD minister said under the leadership of Modi the coverage now stood at 90 per cent.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said sanitation has become a mass movement.

A large 68-kg cake of 'ladoos' was cut by burqa-clad women at the Azad Park in Lahurabir locality in Varanasi. Many of the women were from the minority wing of the BJP.

The intellectual wing of the ruling party held a 108-litre 'Kesar Jal' 'Rudrabhishek' along with milk of the holy Ganga river at the Ahilyabai Ghat and prayers were held for a long life of Modi. A '68-Kundalini Mahayajna' was also organized at the Panini Girls Degree College.

Bollywood wishes

Veteran actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Rishi Kapoor wished Modi a long and healthy life.

Amitabh tweeted on Sunday night: "Varsh nav, harsh nav, utkarsh nav (New year, new happiness, new flourish). Happy birthday PM Modi."

Anupam shared a photograph of himself with Modi shaking hands and praised his 'honesty and great vision.'

Rishi Kapoor also wished 'Narendra bhai Modi' on his birthday.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)