Marathon, blood donation camps, cleanliness drives: How BJP plans to celebrate PM Modi's 75th birthday on September 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will turn 75 on Wednesday, September 17, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiling elaborate plans for nationwide celebrations, including public service campaigns, cultural events, and infrastructure launches.

Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia told news agency PTI, “PM Modi's birthday falls on September 17. We have been organising various programmes, including blood donation camps, the Namo Marathon, seminars, exhibitions, and a screening of a movie based on the life of PM Modi. The Prime Minister is not only the Prime Minister of India but also the ‘Pradhan Sevak’. We are planning to celebrate his birthday with great enthusiasm so that it touches the hearts of the people.”

The BJP and its supporters celebrate the day as Sewa Diwas (Day of Service). This year, the party has announced a two-week-long Sewa Pakhwada from September 17 to October 2, coinciding with the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Activities during Sewa Pakhwada will include blood donation camps, health check-up camps, cleanliness drives, environmental protection campaigns, exhibitions, dialogue programmes, and distribution of assistive devices to persons with disabilities. The Ministry of Culture will organise a Painting Competition on Viksit Bharat, with themes such as “Viksit Bharat,” “Atmanirbhar Bharat,” and “Digital India.”

The first phase on September 17 will see blood donation camps across 1,000 districts. From September 18 to October 2, further blood donation camps will be held at every Mandal, alongside massive cleanliness drives at schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, Namghars, temples, parks, riversides, and historical sites.

The BJP’s youth wing, Yuva Morcha, will organise the Namo Yuva Run across 75 cities, each expected to draw more than 10,000 participants. Ahead of the events, district-level workshops were conducted between September 6 and 10, followed by Mandal-level workshops from September 11 to 13.

The party has also planned a drone show in Pune, a sapling plantation drive in Odisha where 75 lakh trees will be planted, and a Modi Vikas Marathon alongside sports festivals and drawing competitions.

Sunil Bansal, BJP’s national general secretary, has been appointed convener of the 15-day-long Sewa Pakhwada. He has already held workshops with party leaders to prepare for the mega campaign. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and Bansal announced that the BJP will also launch the Atmanirbhar Bharat, Viksit Bharat campaign on September 25, Deendayal Upadhyaya Jayanti, continuing until December 25.

In Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch 15 projects, including new hospital blocks, 101 Arogya Mandir, and 150 dialysis centres, at an event at Thyagraj Stadium on September 17. As per reports, officials said that the Delhi government will also roll out multiple infrastructure projects under the Sewa Pakhwada, including multilevel car parks at GK and Punjabi Bagh, the Nand Nagari flyover, and the long-awaited foot overbridge for Rajputana Rifles.

Narendra Modi, born as Narendra Damodardas Modi in Mehsana, Gujarat, rose from serving as the state’s Chief Minister for three consecutive terms (2001–2014) to being elected Prime Minister for a third time.

Unlike personal festivities, Modi typically spends his birthday with citizens instead of personal celebrations. He has so far launched welfare schemes and participated in public service initiatives. Reports suggest he will inaugurate a mega textile park in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar on September 17. He is also likely to visit Bihar during the Pitru Paksha Mela in Gayaji, a spiritual gathering drawing lakhs of devotees, though there is no official confirmation.

As BJP leaders said, the goal is to celebrate Modi’s birthday in a way that reflects service to the people. “We are planning to celebrate his birthday with great enthusiasm so that it touches the hearts of the people,” Saikia reiterated.